​Why Guardians are sending Cooper Ingle to Triple-A Columbus originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Cooper Ingle earned his first taste of MLB action, and now the Cleveland Guardians are sending him back down to Triple-A Columbus. The team announced the move on Thursday morning, with Petey Halpin stepping into a corresponding roster adjustment.
It’s disappointing for fans excited about the promising prospect, but the decision may make sense given several factors. One of the main considerations is defense. Ingle is a catcher by trade, but the Guardians have been trying to keep him in the lineup by using him in left field. That defensive experiment hasn’t produced the desired results, and it hasn’t given Ingle the opportunity to settle in with a steady role.
There’s also the incident where Ingle threw a ball into the stands with two outs and a runner on base, which underscored his ongoing discomfort in the outfield. Ideally, the Guardians would like Ingle to be their long-term catcher, but the addition of Patrick Bailey via trade has crowded the catching depth, and Bo Naylor is already down in Columbus working to improve his game.
Another issue is Ingle’s limited major-league performance to date. He was only 2-for-21 (.095) in his brief MLB stint. While it’s a small sample, and he should rebound once back in Triple-A, the move back to the minors appears prudent at this time.