Cleveland promoting Bazzana to The Show

April 28, 2026, Corvallis, Ore. – Travis Bazzana is headed to the Major Leagues.

The Cleveland Guardians announced Monday that the 23-year-old Australian, the top prospect in their organization, will join the club on April 28 and make his MLB debut that night against the Rays at Progresssive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.

He had been starring at their triple-A International League affiliate in Columbus. In 24 games, the former Oregon State All-American – the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 draft – was hitting .287, with 11 doubles, two triples, two homers and 10 RBIs.

He also has scored 18 runs, has eight steals, and has exhibited outstanding plate discipline, with 21 walks and a .422 on-base percentage.

“I think he’s continuing to progress and build consistency with his at-bats and make progress on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively,” Guardians president Chris Antonetti told SI.com. “Last night [April 26], he had another good game with two extra base hits, hit his first home run.

“Both those balls he drove out the other way. One was off the wall. I think the home run was left field. So he’s making good progress.”

Bazzana starred for the Knights prior to his freshman year at OSU. He led the West Coast League in hitting with an incredible .429 average, was the WCL’s Most Valuable Player, earned first-team all-WCL honors and earned the WCL’s Top Prospect Award.

He helped lead Corvallis to its fifth consecutive WCL championship amidst its run of seven straight from 2016-2023. Bazzana led the WCL in hits (81), runs (46), total bases (112) and slugging percentage (.593). He tied for first in triples (5); was second in doubles (18) and tied for third in stolen bases (18).

Bazzana then embarked on a standout career at OSU, leading the Beavers to three NCAA tournaments and two Super Regional appearances.

He earned Freshman All-American honors in 2022 and was a second-team All-American in 2023 as a sophomore. In 2024, he hit .407, placed second to Georgia’s Charlie Condon in the Golden Spikes Award competition and nabbed first-team All-American honors.

Bazzana was the first Australian to be the top selection in the MLB Draft. He grew up in Sydney, Australia, and graduated from Turramurra High School. He is also the first second baseman to be picked 1/1.

The Guardians are understandably high on the left-handed batter, who played for Team Australia in the 2026 World Baseball Classic before rejoining the Guardians for the balance of spring training.

“One of the things we’ve loved about Travis is we felt he had a really good foundation in his swing and felt it was a very repeatable swing that, when he’s been at his best, he’s been able to do for long stretches,” Antonetti told MLB.com on April 19.

“Last year, he didn’t have those long stretches to really get locked in, and he’s working towards that right now.”

Injuries to his obliques partially curtailed Bazzana’s 2025 rookie season in pro ball, when he played 84 games at Akron in the double-A Eastern League and Columbus.

During spring training this year, he told MLB.com how there were only a few times in 2025 where he felt completely healthy.

“That was unfortunate last year, but I feel like I addressed a lot of the things that are going to help me not have that occur again,” he said.

Bazzana will join another former Knights/OSU standout in the Cleveland organization, outfielder Steven Kwan. Cleveland’s left fielder played for the Knights in 2016 following his freshman season at OSU and was promoted to the Guardians in 2022 after several years in their minor-league system.

The Knights kick off the 2026 season on Thursday, May 21, with their 13th annual Science, Engineering & Art Day, presented by Paventy & Brown Orthodontics. The Goss Stadium matchup will feature the Knights hosting the NW Star Nighthawks in a non-league contest.

Corvallis opens the West Coast League at Kamloops, B.C., on May 29. The WCL home opener is set for 6:35 pm on June 10 against the Marion Berries.