On Saturday, August 2, C.J. Kayfus made his Major League Baseball debut for the Cleveland Guardians against the Minnesota Twins. He was slotted into the lineup as the right fielder.
In the 5-4 win over the Twins, the Guardians prospect got his first career RBI as he grounded out. This allowed Bo Naylor to come home and score the first run of the game.
Kayfus also recorded his first career hit against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, August 3.
College Career, MLB Draft, Minor League Career – Kayfus was drafted in the third round by the Guardians in the 2023 MLB Draft. This came after he spent three collegiate seasons in Coral Gables, Fla., playing for the Miami Hurricanes.
In those three seasons, Kayfus had a .350 career batting average and a .453 career on-base percentage.
He also finished his Miami career with 29 doubles, 24 home runs (13 in his senior season in 2023), and 98 RBI.
During all three of Kayfus’ seasons in college, he helped lead Miami to the NCAA Tournament.
After being drafted by Cleveland, Kayfus played 17 games at the Single-A level for the Lynchburg Hillcats in Virginia. During that period of time, he had a .271 batting average and an on-base percentage of .429. He also had four home runs and 19 RBI for the Hillcats.
In 2024, he played for both the Guardians’ High-A and Double-A affiliates, the Lake County Captains and Akron RubberDucks.
For the entire 2024 baseball season, Kayfus improved his batting average from his stint with Lynchburg. He had a .291 batting average that season with 17 home runs and 92 RBI. He also tallied 118 hits.
In 2025, Kayfus was called up to the Guardians’ triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. While playing for Columbus, he had a .283 batting average, 14 doubles, 13 home runs, and 43 RBI.
Where Does the MLB Pipeline Have Kayfus Ranked? – According to MLB Pipeline, Kayfus is the fourth-ranked prospect in Cleveland’s farm system. He is ranked 66th in MLB Pipeline’s current top 100 prospects list.
MLB Pipeline also ranks Kayfus as a top five first base prospect.
Photo: CJ Kayfus runs to first base after hitting an RBI fielders choice off Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober in his first Major League at bat, during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
