He's now just one stop away.After being promoted to Triple-A on Monday, May 18, the Cleveland Guardians' front office has positioned top infield prospect Ralphy Velazquez just a level below the major leagues. And if he keeps up the pace that he's currently playing at, he may make the jump by the end of the 2026 campaign.All season long, the Guardians have tested the waters with numerous prospects they deem fit and ready to contribute at the major league level. Positionally, Juan Brito, Travis Bazzana, George Valera, Petey Halpin and CJ Kayfus have all been given opportunities to play at the highest level of the game. While not all have stuck, it shows the willingness of Cleveland's front office to provide chances for young players to show their worth. And now, it seems that Velazquez, who has jumped up to the No. 2 prospect in Cleveland's system according to Baseball America, is on the fast track to being that next guy. The Path ForwardVelazquez began the 2026 campaign with the Double-A Akron Rubberducks, posting a staggering .317/.414/.566 for an OPS of .980 across 169 plate appearances. He had knocked nine doubles, three triples and seven home runs for 30 RBI. That type of production from the plate, combined with consistency that saw him go hitless in only eight contests and failing to reach base in just four, is what the front office is looking for in prospects. Before being promoted to Columbus, he also had a streak of reaching base in 25 of 26 games, recording knocks in 21 of those outings. The goal now is to keep that streak going with the Clippers. Primarily playing first base throughout his career in the minors so far, that's likely not to change now that he's in Columbus. Fortunately, the Triple-A squad doesn't have a locked-down first baseman, as CJ Kayfus has spent most of the time there this season. He's slashing a nice .281/.368/.344, but it's coming on a limited sample size of just eight games and 32 at-bats due to injury. With Velazquez now appearing, they'll likely start moving Kayfus around to spend time in other positions, mainly to get the most out of the 20-year-old from San Pedro, Calif. The Guardians obviously highly value Velazquez and believe he has a legitimate chance to make a big league appearance in the near future, or they wouldn't have sent him up from Akron this quickly. Now, it's up to him to keep his current momentum going and prove that he deserves a nod by the time August and September roll around. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow