Former Miami Hurricanes standout CJ Kayfus was called up to the Major Leagues by the Cleveland Guardians Saturday morning, becoming the 71st Hurricane in program history to reach the big leagues.
A native of Wellington, Fla., Kayfus was selected by the Guardians in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He is the third Miami Hurricane to reach a Major League roster this season, joining left-hander Carson Palmquist (Rockies) and right-hander Brian Van Belle (Red Sox). Kayfus is now reunited in Cleveland with former Miami alumnus Slade Cecconi, who is also a member of Cleveland’s active roster.
Kayfus’ call-up comes after a standout season in the minors. This season, he combined for 317 at-bats, batting .300 with 95 hits, 14 home runs, 54 RBI, a .390 on-base percentage, and a .929 OPS across Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. He made an incredibly fast rise through the minor league system, reaching Double-A in early May and earning promotion to Columbus after just 18 games, during which he posted a blistering .364/.475/.591 slash line with one homer and 11 RBI.
Kayfus, a two-year starter for the Hurricanes, had a fantastic collegiate career in Coral Gables. The first baseman and outfielder earned All-ACC Second Team honors in 2022 and was tabbed the team’s Most Valuable Player following a breakout sophomore season.
That year, he led Miami in nearly every offensive category, finishing with a .366 batting average, 87 hits, 38 walks, a .460 on-base percentage, and 16 stolen bases. He started all 60 games for Miami and posted a team-high 27 multi-hit games. Kayfus also delivered 10 multi-RBI performances and reached base safely in all but two contests.
