The doubts had started to creep in, at least from the outside.
The dog days of summer had arrived, and they most certainly had arrived for Travis Bazzana.
The Cleveland Guardians‘ former No. 1 overall pick had clearly begun to struggle following the All-Star Game, and with the Guards just clinging to some playoff hopes, it wasn’t helping them that their young phenom wasn’t delivering much of anything useful.
Then the calendar flipped to September.
And as the division race has heated up to a fever pitch, Bazzana has shown up in a major way.
That includes Tuesday night, when he blasted two home runs to help the Guardians rally and beat the White Sox to stay in touching distance in the AL Central Division — and currently maintain hold of the third-and-final Wild Card spot in the American League.
It was the second two-homer game of Bazzana’s short MLB career.
CLE – Travis Bazzana Solo HR (14)
🔥 2nd HR of the game📏 393 ft | 💨 98 mph | 📐 28°
⚾️ 92.1 mph sinker (CWS – RHP Davis Martin)
🏟️ Out in 1/30 parksCWS (6) @ CLE (5)
🔻 6th#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/M5BvCBa9at— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) September 16, 2026
Bazzana needed some help from the clutch Brayan Rocchio to ensure the Guardians didn’t lose on Tuesday night, but the young Australian had already done his part.
Travis Bazzana on a Hot Streak
Since the calendar flipped to September, Bazzana has batted .385.
He’s also up to five home runs and 14 RBI in the month.
Travis Bazzana in September:
.385 / 5 HR / 14 RBI / 1 SB
He is likely going to win some people there leagues!pic.twitter.com/RzKjO7p71C
— Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) September 16, 2026
He has also raised his Weighted Runs Created-Plus to 115, which means he’s been 15% better than league average as a hitter. That stat ranks him third in the sport among second baseman, behind just Milwaukee’s Brice Turang and Minnesota’s Luke Keaschall.
It’s not really a golden era for second baseman, but Bazzana is showing that at least in Cleveland, the future of the position is bright.
AL Central Standings
The Guardians pulled back within a half-game of the White Sox with their win on Tuesday night.
They’ll play a series finale on Wednesday, and whoever wins will hold the division lead with a week-and-a-half to go.
The White Sox are currently 77-74.
The Guardians are currently 77-75.
Cleveland has widened its lead just slightly in the third-and-final Wild Card spot, too, over the 75-76 Rangers and the 75-77 Blue Jays.
If the Guardians can keep getting strong performances from their young players and clutch performances from their veterans, they can continue to maintain playoff positioning. And with this ballclub’s pitching, if they can simply make it to the postseason, they can certainly be a danger team with the potential to make some noise.
Guardians’ Travis Bazzana Makes Statement With Milestone Night