Guardians to promote .896 OPS ex-Reds outfielder to replace Steven Kwan

The Cleveland Guardians are having a good 2026 season, as they're sitting atop the AL Central with a 33-25 record.

But there's still room to improve, and upgrading the offense is the main area of need for this team. With Steven Kwan landing on the bereavement list on Thursday, the Guardians needed to find a new outfielder to join the MLB squad.

According to Zack Meisel of The Athletic, the Guardians are promoting a former Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves outfielder, who has an .896 OPS in the minors this season, in Stuart Fairchild to replace Kwan.

Guardians call up Stuart Fairchild to replace Steven Kwan

"Guardians are promoting Stuart Fairchild to replace Steven Kwan, who is on the bereavement/family medical emergency list (out 3 to 7 days)," Meisel reports.

Kwan is on the bereavement/family medical emergency list, meaning he will miss at least three games and upwards of seven games. Taking his spot will be Fairchild, an outfielder who has some MLB experience.

Fairchild is 30 years old, and in his 591 MLB at-bats since 2021, he's recorded 18 homers, 68 RBIs, a .223 batting average, and a .689 OPS.

MORE: Chase Burns becomes first Reds pitcher with elite stat line since 1922

Last year for the Braves, he had a .216 average and .606 OPS in 28 games with 51 at-bats. While those aren't the best numbers, he's impressed in Triple-A this season.

Across 40 games and 142 at-bats, Fairchild has a .289 batting average with an .896 OPS. He has 41 hits, 31 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples, five homers, 15 RBIs, 26 walks, 32 strikeouts, and nine stolen bases.

He will replace Kwan on the MLB roster for this weekend's series to close out May against the Boston Red Sox. While he might not be up in the Majors for long, with Kwan set to come back in the next week or so, this is still an interesting call-up.

More MLB news:

• 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals
• Roman Anthony might’ve been overhyped for Red Sox
• Dodgers still have a Roki Sasaki problem
• Ex-MLB GM projects White Sox to sell at trade deadline despite 2026 success
• Yankees’ Aaron Judge on track to become first player in MLB history with five 50+ homer seasons