The Cleveland Guardians have an interesting decision on their hands with one of the organization's top prospects.

First baseman Ralphy Velazquez is emerging as a serious contender to crack Cleveland's roster before the conclusion of the regular season.

The 21-year-old, ranked as the Guardians' No. 2 prospect on MLB Pipeline, has hit an astonishing 16 home runs in his past 21 games, dating back to July 28. In August, Velazquez has more homers (14) than strikeouts (11).

This past Saturday, the left-handed hitter slugged three long balls and was subsequently named the International League Player of the Week for Aug. 18-23.

Since his promotion from Double-A Akron to Triple-A in May, Velazquez is hitting .280/.361/.559 with 20 homers and a .921 OPS in 69 games.

What's stopping the Guardians from promoting Velazquez?

"The Guardians have reasons not to promote him to the big leagues this year. He’s only 21. His addition to the 40-man roster would prevent him from playing minor-league ball during a potential lockout," The Athletic's Zack Meisel wrote Tuesday. "He’d either have to play left field, where he has limited experience, or serve as the designated hitter, a spot [Jose] Ramírez, [Chase] DeLauter and [Jo] Adell have been sharing."

Cleveland has somewhat of a logjam at first base, too. The Guardians acquired Nathaniel Lowe from the Cincinnati Reds at the trade deadline. However, he has a .691 OPS in his first 63 plate appearances with the AL Central club.

Veteran Rhys Hoskins, a right-handed hitter, platoons at the corner infield spot with Lowe. He was placed on the injured list with back inflammation towards the end of last week.

There's no doubt that the Guardians could use more power in their lineup. DeLauter, Hoskins, and Kyle Manzardo, who was optioned to Triple-A on Aug. 3, lead the offense with 13 homers each.

Clearly, Velazquez offers plenty of power. But adding him to the 40-man roster now could strip him of valuable development he needs in the minors next season. That's a risk the Guardians must mull over, considering there may be a lockout in 2027.

These are the conversations Cleveland's front office has likely already discussed. What Velazquez is doing at Triple-A is hard for the Guardians to ignore.

But for now, they might just have to.

Photo: American League's Ralphy Velazquez (22) in action during the fourth inning the MLB All-Star Futures baseball game against the National League, Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)