CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s MLB team will make several major steps in its transition from the Indians nickname to the Guardians moniker this week. 

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland’s MLB team will make a major transition into its new team name Friday

  • The Cleveland Indians will officially change their website and social media handles to the Cleveland Guardians on Friday

  • The team shop will also begin selling Guardians’ merchandise Friday

  • Other retailers can begin selling Guardians merchandise July 23

The team announced Wednesday that its social media platforms and website will switch to the Cleveland Guardians by Friday.

For fans looking to grab merchandise, the Cleveland Guardians Team Store will officially open Friday. The store will be the exclusive local seller of Guardians merchandise until Nov. 23. 

The team store at Progressive Field will close Thursday to prepare for the transition. 

Earlier in the week, the Indians settled with a local roller derby team, also known as the Cleveland Guardians, amid a legal dispute over usage of the name. 

The ballclub, which has been known as the Indians since 1915, has received criticism from some Native American advocates for having an insensitive nickname. The Indians previously phased out its “Chief Wahoo” logo, fully retiring the emblem in 2018.

Amid nationwide protests against racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the Indians released a statement last year saying that it was reexamining the club nickname. The statement did not include a commitment to renaming the club, but that the team would contact stakeholders in an effort to “keep improving as an organization on issues of social justice.”

The club announced its new nickname July 23.

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