Guardians’ Steven Kwan Is Back, Even Though He Won’t Admit It

Not long ago, there were more questions about whether Steven Kwan had a future with the Cleveland Guardians than about whether he was still the elite contact hitter of years past.

All of those narratives are well behind the two-time All-Star hitter. After a brutal first half of the season when Kwan was statistically one of the worst hitters in baseball, he’s flipped the script and is one of the best players at the plate.

Despite all that, Kwan has been reluctant to admit he’s a different player, and he was asked on Wednesday after Cleveland's win over the Los Angeles Angels whether he’s officially back.

All he responded with was, “We’ll see.”

Kwan may not want to say it himself, but he’s clearly back to being the All-Star hitter of years past.

Aug 22, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) on deck in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Let’s start with this: in May alone, Kwan only had 15 hits in the entire month. During Cleveland’s recent road trip to Colorado and Los Angeles, he had 12 hits in 25 at-bats, including the first five-hit game of his career.

That’s how locked in Kwan is at the plate right now. These hits are coming in clutch moments for the team, too, which had been an issue for Cleveland earlier this season. Kwan’s RBI double on Thursday clinched the Guardians’ second consecutive comeback win of the series.

The first-half and second-half splits speak for themselves, too. Cleveland was always hopeful Kwan could turn it around in the second half, and that's exactly what happened. 

Before the All-Star break, Kwan had just a .225/.332/.282 slash line. Since the Midsummer Classic, he’s logged a .384/.476/.449 slash line.

Kwan’s season OPS on May 15 was just .566. As he continues to put together a stellar second half, that number has climbed to .713, which is incredibly impressive considering the context.

Even at his lowest point of the season, Kwan was getting on base through his incredible plate discipline. That hasn’t wavered over the last few weeks, either. Kwan still isn’t afraid to take a walk, but is back to making contact over everything else.

Kwan’s turnaround this season has been one of the best storylines of Cleveland’s 2026 campaign. If the Guardians can get back to the playoffs, in part because of the former All-Star returning to form, it has the potential to be one of the best narratives in all of baseball this year.