The Cleveland Guardians won eight of their final 10 games of the regular season, helping them secure the AL Central Division title with an 85-77 overall record.
That also earned Cleveland a first-round bye in what has been a fairly poor American League this season.
However, Cleveland returns to action on Saturday as the ALDS begins, with the Guardians taking on the Chicago White Sox at 1 p.m. ET at Progressive Field.
Ahead of the action, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt revealed his starting lineup for Game 1, and it features some notable moves from the last time we saw Cleveland in action.
Guardians Announce Jo Adell Move
Among the lineup changes, Vogt has moved usual everyday outfielder Jo Adell to designated hitter for the first game of the series, where he’ll bat cleanup.
During the 2026 season, Adell started at DH just nine times across 48 games after the Guardians acquired him.
Cleveland will instead have Angel Martinez in left field, Steven Kwan in center and Chase DeLauter in right.
Here’s the full Guardians lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Guardians 10/3 S. Kwan CF J. Ramírez 3B C. DeLauter RF J. Adell DH A. Martínez LF D. Fry 1B T. Bazzana 2B A. Hedges C B. Rocchio SS P. Messick SP.”
Guardians 10/3
S. Kwan CF
J. Ramírez 3B
C. DeLauter RF
J. Adell DH
A. Martínez LF
D. Fry 1B
T. Bazzana 2B
A. Hedges C
B. Rocchio SSP. Messick SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) October 3, 2026
Adell’s 2026 Regular Season
After the Los Angeles Angels traded Adell at the trade deadline, he became a key part of the Guardians’ second-half success.
He’s hitting .244 during his time with Cleveland, and across 180 at-bats, he’s recorded 24 runs, 44 hits, seven home runs and 32 RBIs.
On the season, Adell is hitting .240 with 145 hits, 23 home runs and 94 RBIs, while slugging .401 with a .700 OPS across 159 total games.
Cleveland Guardians Announce Jo Adell Move Before ALDS vs. White Sox