CLEVELAND -- The Guardians had hoped that All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan might avoid hitting the injured list with the mid-back inflammation that has bothered him in recent days, but they opted to make the move shortly before Tuesday’s game against the Twins. And doing so required some interesting roster juggling.

To replace Kwan on the active roster, the Guardians selected the contract of outfielder Myles Straw from Triple-A Columbus. And to make room for Straw on the 40-man roster, Cleveland designated veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment.

Kwan’s injured list placement is retroactive to Sept. 14. Though he had done some pregame activity on the field this week, the back was not responding well enough for him to rejoin the lineup. The injury came at a time when the Guardians were hoping Kwan could be a catalyst at the top of their lineup again after his numbers went into a second-half tailspin.

Despite flirting with .400 early in the season and earning his first All-Star selection, Kwan batted just .188 from the start of the second half through Sept. 7. But he had a 5-for-13 showing in the four games just prior to getting scratched with the back issue on Sept. 13.

And so enters the 29-year-old Straw, who had signed a five-year, $25 million extension with Cleveland at the start of the 2022 season, only to put up a .229/.296/.284 over the course of 2022-23. That dismal performance led to Straw getting designated at the end of Spring Training camp this year.

He was slashing .240/.321/.329 in 123 games for Triple-A Columbus at the time of this promotion. Though Straw hasn’t fared much better at the plate with the Clippers than he had with the Guardians, he did have 30 steals in 31 attempts, and his glove remains a major plus.

“He’s been working really hard on his base-stealing,” manager Stephen Vogt had said over the weekend, “and we all know his defense is very, very good. That's an understatement.”

Making room for Kwan meant parting ways with Carrasco, a fan and organizational favorite who first pitched for the club from 2009-2020, winning 88 games, valiantly battling leukemia and winning the 2019 Roberto Clemente Award.

Carrasco spent three seasons with the Mets after he was included in the blockbuster trade that sent shortstop Francisco Lindor to New York. He returned to Cleveland on a Minor League contract this year and, because of injury issues in the rotation, wound up serving a more prominent role on the club than anticipated.

The 37-year-old Carrasco made 21 starts and went 3-10 with a 5.64 ERA before hitting the injured list with a hip strain in early August.