Hot Rosario having fun again for Cleveland
The number of hitters around baseball who had a better August than Amed Rosario can probably be counted one hand.
Rosario tore through the last month, hitting .372 with a .981 OPS, four home runs, eight doubles, two triples, 20 RBI and three stolen bases.
Rosario has featured an up-anddown first season with Cleveland of sorts, as he got off to a slow start (.179 average through the end of April) before heating up in May and June, only to fall into another slump in July before becoming one of the hottest hitters in baseball in August.
"I think there's only one key to that: It's just enjoying the game, enjoying every day, enjoying what I do," Rosario said. "I think that's the key to just come here and enjoy the game.”
It's probably safe to say he enjoyed the final day of the month the most. On Tuesday night, Rosario went 5for-5 with two home runs and five RBI, nearly single-handedly providing the offensive firepower needed to beat the Royals. The first home run was of the inside-the-park variety, the first by a Cleveland batter since Jason Kipnis in 2018. In doing so, Rosario became the first player since at least 1920 to go 5-for-5 with five RBI and both types of home run in the same game, according to STATS LLC. That night was the icing on the cake for what had been a torrid month, with Rosario giving Cleveland's lineup a needed list, like he did in June.
Rosario's recent stretch has certainly put him in much better standing heading into 2022 as Cleveland's front office prepares for a flurry of difficult decisions.
Rosario, as things stand, will have a spot in Cleveland's lineup. The question is where he lines up defensively. It could be at shortstop, with potentially Andres Gimenez playing second base. But Gimenez was, to a greater extent, the hopeful longer-term answer at shortstop from the Francisco Lindor trade.
It's also possible Rosario could again be moved to the outfield, though this time it wouldn't be in center, where he opened 2021 — it'd be in left field or right field, where Cleveland has two major question marks heading into 2022. Bradley Zimmer could have one of those spots, and Josh Naylor will eventually, but his Opening Day status remains entirely up in the air following extensive ankle surgery.
That is, of course, all dependent on how Cleveland addresses any roster needs on the free agent market. It also assumes that Rosario isn't traded, which is also certainly a possibility.