Guardians' Austin Hedges may have unlocked something

Guardians' Austin Hedges may have unlocked something originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It's early, and so you don't want to make too many quick conclusions.

But Cleveland Guardians veteran catcher Austin Hedges may have figured out his swing.

Hedges had already told reporters that he had figured something out last September -- and if that's indeed the case, he has carried it into this season.

This is a guy who hasn't had an OPS of .600 or better since 2018.

So far this season, Hedges has an .841 OPS through six games. He's 7-for-20 at the plate with two doubles.

Last season, it took Hedges until June to have seven hits.

MORE:Blue Jays' Ernie Clement is a battle between old-school and new-age baseball

Maybe this just means he's due to go 0-for-his-next-30.

Or maybe it means that the guy the Guardians have mostly kept around as a clubhouse presence who is also a solid defender has actually figured something out in the batter's box.

The rest of his game still works. The Guardians have won each of the six games Hedges has started behind the plate.

And hey, he recently took the mound to save Cleveland's staff just a bit in a blowout, and he got the only batter he faced to make an out.

The Guardians obviously would like young catcher Bo Naylor to get into a groove at the plate, because he's their future at the position.

But if Hedges wants to keep doing what he's doing, no one will complain. It's a cool stretch for Hedges, regardless of where things go from here.

More MLB news:

• Explaining the absurdity of 2 MLB players named Max Muncy
• He almost retired, but instead he hit his first grand slam
• White Sox are holding a Pope Leo XIV promotion
• This slider is really good and moves the entirely wrong direction
• Did Bo Bichette have a hidden injury?