Stephen Vogt Gives Heart-Tugging Response on Bo Naylor’s Optioning to Minors

Stephen Vogt said it was his least favorite conversation he has had to have since getting the job as the Cleveland Guardians’ manager.

On Saturday, May 9, the front office made a move to trade for San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, who has won two Golden Glove awards since entering the league back in 2023. In a corresponding move to create space on the active major league roster, the Guardians optioned struggling backstop Bo Naylor to Triple-A Columbus.

Naylor, who had been a staple on the roster for the past few campaigns, has been one of just a few who have been here the entire way since Vogt began as the skipper of the Guardians.

According to the head honcho himself, the two had formed a tight bond, making the conversation about being optioned so difficult.

“To have that conversation with Bo hurt, it was a really painful night,” Vogt said. “There’s no getting around that. But as Chris alluded to earlier, I’m guessing we still believe Bo’s going to be really good for us. We still believe that Bo has a bright future with us. But any time you send somebody away from here, it’s the worst. But that one especially stung.”

#Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on the conversation that he had with Bo Naylor:

“To have that conversation with Bo hurt, it was a really painful night. There’s no getting around that. But as Chris [Antonetti] alluded to earlier I’m guessing, we still believe Bo’s going to be…

— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 9, 2026

Since being called up back in 2022 at the age of 22 years old, Naylor has tried to get consistent at the plate, it has just never panned out.

He owns a career slashing line of .199/.279/.372 for an OPS of .651. He’s only surpassed 30 total extra-base hits once, coming back in the 2025 season, where he rocketed 22 doubles, one triple and 14 home runs. However, his batting average, with over 400 at-bats, sat below .200.

That inability to stay consistent ultimately hurt his chances of holding onto the starting spot this season.

He isn’t a bad defender, but Bailey and veteran Austin Hedges are up there for some of the best defensive backstops in the league. Although they don’t hit well, they make up for it with their leadership and brick wall-type play.

Vogt went on to say that Bailey is going to be a great fit in Cleveland.

“Obviously, we’re super thrilled that Patrick Bailey’s coming. This is one of the best, if not the best, defensive catchers in baseball. The way he leads pitching staffs, the person that he is, he’s a phenomenal person, teammate. Just the little bit of interactions I’ve had with him, but hearing from multiple people that worked closely with him.

“I mean, I got eight, nine texts from people with the Giants organization just raving, not wanting him to leave, things of that nature. So we feel like we got a good one.”

It’s obviously going to be difficult at first for the guys in the clubhouse and the coaching staff to not see Naylor around, but the hope is that Bailey can settle in quickly and fill that role behind home plate.