This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

When Brayan Rocchio was called on to replace Josh Naylor in the lineup on Tuesday night, he was only thinking about his first Major League hit. 

“You just want [your first plate appearances] to be a base hit,” Rocchio said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “Whatever happens, let it be a base hit and luckily I got it.” 

It wasn’t some dramatic home run or hot shot into the gap in the outfield; Rocchio began his big league career with a swinging bunt that traveled all of two feet before it reached the ground. A  53.9-mph trickling ground ball in front of the pitcher’s mound was more than enough to allow Rocchio to record an infield single. An errant throw permitted him to reach second base. 

“It’s incredible,” Rocchio said. “It’s something that you dream of since the first day I became a professional.”

Rocchio was standing tall at second base and couldn’t wipe the smile off his face after the half-inning ended, as he waited near the first-base line for Gabriel Arias to bring him his glove. His girlfriend and his brother both couldn’t put their phones down, recording every second of watching Rocchio’s dream come true. He couldn’t stop beaming with pride when he checked his phone after the game to see their reactions posted to their Instagram pages. 

“I’m really excited to share this with them because as much as it’s a dream of mine, it was a dream of theirs to see me play in the Major Leagues,” Rocchio said.

It’s been a long time coming for Cleveland’s No. 6 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. He was signed as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela in 2017. He’s had a solid Minor League career and got off to a red-hot start to the 2023 season, causing fans to beg for his callup on social media. He got his first promotion to the Majors last month, filling a bench spot for one day when both Amed Rosario and Tyler Freeman were banged up in Detroit, but the Guardians knew the chances of Rocchio getting into a game were unlikely. Even still, the club was confident that a day in the big leagues would be enough to get his feet wet. Now that he’s able to look back on it, Rocchio agrees. 

“I think it was the best feeling because it removed that tension,” Rocchio said. “I felt like it was like family, like I was comfortable being here.”

Rocchio picked up his infield single and later grounded into a double play on a hot shot to first base. 

“You got to take a second and enjoy [him making his debut],” Guardians manager Terry Francona said with a smile. “I mean, he got down the line pretty good for a kid that was sitting in the cold for an hour and a half. Actually took a really good swing on the next one. I would’ve liked to have seen that one go through just to see if that inning would unfold.”

Francona explained before the game that Rocchio wasn’t guaranteed to play in the three games he’s filling José Ramírez’s roster spot, with Ramírez on the bereavement list following the death of his grandmother. Rocchio doesn’t have much experience at third base, having played just 12 Minor League games there (and none since 2021). But when Naylor exited the game with left leg tightness, it was Rocchio’s time to get a chance at the hot corner. On the first play after he was put in the field, the ball went right to him at third. 

“I wasn’t thinking of game situations, I was just embracing the moment,” Rocchio said. “It’s my first game and when I saw the ball coming my way I was lucky to move my feet and get the play done.” 

The Guardians have expressed that they think Rocchio still needs time to continue his development before becoming a big league regular. The 22-year-old middle infielder already has six errors in 28 games at shortstop with Triple-A Columbus this season. But if he can be consistent, he’s already proving what type of impact he can make. Until then, he will enjoy his quick stop up the Majors. 

“I was just excited to play,” Rocchio said. “Even if it was shortstop, second or third, I was just excited to be there.”