Lane Thomas' Contract Year: A Nightmare filled with Injuries and Hope (2025)

CLEVELAND — Remember the Lane Thomas at-bat?

Not the three-run homer that set the tone for the Guardians in Game 1 of the 2024 ALDS. Not the grand slam that had Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal pounding his fist into his glove as Thomas circled the bases and Progressive Field erupted.

No, how about the battle with two outs and no one aboard to keep the light flickering for Jhonkensy Noel in Game 3 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees?

Luke Weaver started the encounter with a couple of called strikes. Thomas then resisted three pitches out of the zone before he smacked a 95-mph fastball off the top of the 19-foot-high wall in left-center. Noel followed with an unforgettable missile to the left-field bleachers to resuscitate the Guardians with two outs in the ninth.

Thomas’ double usually gets lost in the shuffle, thanks to Noel’s heroics, or David Fry’s walk-off, or even Thomas’ two seismic swings in the ALDS. That’s the at-bat teammates and coaches gush about, though, the one Noel makes sure gets mentioned when anyone talks to him about his epic blast.

Without Thomas, the Guardians’ 2024 playoff run would have ended with a whimper (and sooner). Whatever Alex Clemmey, José Tena and Rafael Ramirez turn into with the Washington Nationals or some other team, the Guardians will be at peace with it. The Guardians needed an outfielder at the trade deadline last summer, and they acquired one who fit in so seamlessly.

The club played “Rocky Top,” the signature song for his alma mater, the University of Tennessee, in his honor after every playoff win and during every clubhouse clinch celebration.

Now, the Guardians would have preferred Thomas’ 2025 season would have unfolded in any manner other than the one in which it did. This has been an abject nightmare, especially considering he’s bound for free agency this winter, and the offers he figures to receive will pale in comparison to what he would have imagined six months ago.

Thomas will visit a specialist in Indianapolis next week. He has already filled in the specialist on the agony his right foot has caused him this season, and the two sides discussed the potential for Thomas to have a surgical procedure that would come with a three-month recovery plan.

He didn’t explicitly say he’s out for the season, but there’s no need to spell it out. There are two weeks remaining in the regular season. The minor-league season will wrap next week, and Thomas’ latest attempt at a rehab stint stalled again because of foot pain.

Manager Stephen Vogt used the past tense when discussing Thomas’ season.

“He just couldn’t ever get healthy,” Vogt said. “I feel for him.”

Thomas appeared in 39 games this season, totaling 142 plate appearances. He posted a .160/.246/.272 slash line, with four homers, two doubles and four stolen bases. This is a guy who swiped 32 bases a year ago and socked 28 homers two years ago. This is a guy who couldn’t get anything to go his way in 2025. Even Edward A. Murphy Jr., the aerospace engineer who coined the phrase Murphy’s Law, would have thought the poor fortune this season was a little much.

During the home opener, Thomas was struck on the wrist by a pitch. He missed a week, came back for a few days, and then missed a month. He played in four games, and then his foot started barking, thanks to a case of plantar fasciitis. He missed two weeks. He returned for three and a half weeks. Then, he went back on the shelf. He ramped up, then stopped. He rehabbed, then stopped. He received a cortisone shot at one point, a different injection at another point, and another cortisone shot when he returned to action earlier this month. He would play an inning, and then could barely walk.

The foot issues actually trace back to last season. He developed a bone bruise in his heel as the year progressed, and it flared up when he started training for the new season. He tolerated it through the spring, but it ultimately forced him out of the lineup. Thomas said he’s spoken with a few other players who have dealt with similar maladies, including Carlos Correa and Harrison Bader.

“Obviously, it’s been tough,” Thomas said. “I don’t want to downplay the year. It’s been really hard. But at the same time, it’s a tough game. … You play long enough, I feel like you’ll run into some bad luck.”

Thomas said he’s looking forward to being asked about a home run or a diving catch instead of an update on whichever bone is aching. Throughout his year of starts and stops, he has spent most days at the ballpark, around his teammates.

He said he’d love to re-sign with the Guardians, but stressed that’s a conversation for down the road, once he — and any team interested in employing him next year — has clarity about his health and outlook. Cleveland doesn’t have much solved in its outfield, aside from Steven Kwan. The club could have George Valera, Chase DeLauter, Nolan Jones, Noel and Angel Martínez scrapping for opportunities in the spring.

In the meantime, Thomas is hoping the Guardians can repeat their autumn magic — this time, without him. He might not be able to stand in for a key at-bat, but he’d love to crack open a beer while “Rocky Top” blares in the clubhouse.

“Hopefully there are some meaningful games here at the end,” Thomas said, “and I’ll get it ripping in here.”

(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)