Steven Kwan brought 'Guards Ball' to the All-Star Game, but wrist injury has him sidelined

Yahoo

21-07-2025

CLEVELAND — All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan brought some "Guards Ball" to the All-Star Game, and the brand is officially going mainstream outside the Cleveland clubhouse.
Kwan stepped to the plate as the American League's last hope with two outs in the ninth inning and the potential run on third base.
In typical Guardians fashion, Kwan made contact that just so happened to find the right spot to drive in the tying run in with an infield RBI single before the National League went on to win via the first ever Home Run Swing-Off.
As Kwan returned to the dugout for the bottom of the ninth, a few New York Yankees coaches jokingly gave him a hard time for it.
"The Yankee staff knew about it [Guards Ball], which was funny," Kwan said before the Guardians-Athletics game on July 19. "They're all looking at me, shaking their heads, saying, 'Guards Ball,' and I couldn't help but laugh at that. I think [Guardians manager Stephen Vogt] was whispering in their ears as well, but the words came out of their mouth, which was funny."
Steven Kwan injury update
Kwan was out of the lineup for the first two games after the All-Star break as he deals with a right wrist issue, the result of a slide on which his hand was caught and dragged along the base and dirt. He sustained the injury before the All-Star break, though it appeared to be a day-to-day issue. It then flared up again in Houston just a few days before the All-Star Game.
Kwan discussed the situation with the Guardians, and it was agreed upon he could play in the All-Star Game itself, although Kwan was careful about not doing anything beyond the actual swings needed for the game itself.
"Yeah, I talked to them, obviously want to play with the best in the world," Kwan said. "They fully supported me on that, which I really appreciated. I wanted to be responsible about it, just playing in the game. Didn't do any BP [batting practice]. I just stood there for the shagging stuff but didn't try to go too crazy with it."
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As Kwan was playing through the injury before the All-Star break, the hope was to avoid needing a shot, and the wrist would heal on its own.
"Back in Houston, I took a big swing and it kind of flared up again, so I think that's when we were just like, 'Yeah, we need to just get a shot and be out with it, especially if we're going to have a strong second half.' I want to make sure I'm 100 percent for that run."
Steven Kwan's 2025 statistics
Kwan is batting .285 with a .345 on-base percentage, six home runs, 20 doubles, 32 RBIs, 43 runs scored and 11 stolen bases while playing Gold Glove-level defense in left field, enough for his second consecutive All-Star selection.
But for the last few games in which he played, the wrist injury was starting to become a bigger factor.
"Yeah, I think the inside pitch has definitely been kind of hampering me a little bit," Kwan said. "Hitting a ball is hard enough, and then when you're trying to manage a wrist, nobody wants to put excuses on that, but it's just hard to manage a bunch of things like that at once."
Manager Stephen Vogt noted July 19 the team doesn't see this as an Injured List situation, and that Kwan is day to day. But with the Guardians trying to make up ground in the AL wild card race — they entered July 19 4.5 games out of a playoff spot — missing their All-Star lead-off hitter is a potentially major loss.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan details wrist injury after missing games