Cleveland Indians smart to go with Erik Gonzalez in utility role

The Cleveland Indians decided to replace Michael Martinez with Erik Gonzalez in the utility role, which was a smart move by the front office.

The Cleveland Indians made a series of roster moves earlier this week, with the main one resulting in Bradley Zimmer being called up to make his MLB debut.

While that stole the headlines, another move was made that shook up the roster.

Erik Gonzalez was called up from Columbus, while Michael Martinez was designated for assignment.

Martinez, who has been traded to Tampa Bay, drew the ire of many fans who never got over his groundout to end the 2017 World Series. But as a utility man, he was not expected to be much of a weapon on offense.

While I do agree with that, it does make sense to get someone who can not only come in and provide solid defense, but who can at least be some sort of threat at the plate. Gonzalez can do just that.

The role of utility man is a difficult one to fill, as most fans may clamor for the team to put a top prospect in the role. But that is rarely done, as teams want their prospects to get regular time in the minors, while focusing on a single position.

Gonzalez is a unique case as he is a talented prospect, but he has zero chance of cracking the major league roster as a starter at any infield position. And unlike Yandy Diaz, who is not able to play every infield position, Gonzalez is perfectly capable of filling in all over the infield.

The different between Gonzalez and Martinez is age, as the former is just 25 years old while the latter is 34. At this point, it made sense to give Gonzalez a chance, considering Martinez has done nothing special to warrant the team keeping him if the younger Gonzalez has more potential.

Allowing Gonzalez to play in Cleveland may also increase his trade value, if that is the route the Indians want to go. It would make sense with the infield spots being rather secure.

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At this point Gonzalez is either going to start in Columbus or be the utility man in Cleveland. And if he is never going to get a starting spot with the Indians, there is no need to continue honing his skills in Columbus. He may not stick as the 25th man all season, but it makes sense to utilize his youth and potential instead of keeping him in Triple-A with no intentions of calling him up.