Guardians' Josh Naylor leaves game with left ankle bruise

August 31, 2024 - 9:54am

Josh Naylor had four RBIs and Emmanuel Clase picked up his 40th save of the season to become the all-time leader in saves for the Cleveland Guardians, as they went on to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-8.

Cleveland Guardians all-star first baseman Josh Naylor left Friday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after sustaining a bruise to his left ankle.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told reporters after the team's 10-8 win that Naylor turned his ankle after he hit an RBI single during the eighth inning.

"Fortunately, I think we avoided a sprain," Vogt said. "He's going to be sore, he's going to be playing through some soreness but you all know [Naylor] the hockey player. He wants to play [Saturday]. Fortunately, there was no structural damage, just a bone bruise."

Tyler Freeman replaced Naylor as a pinch runner.

Naylor went 3 for 5 with a double, one run scored and four RBIs during the game.

The 27-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., has 28 home runs and 98 RBIs with a .240/.322/.464 slash line this season.

The AL Central-leading Guardians (77-58) continue their series against the Pirates (62-72) on Saturday night.

COMMENTS

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.