Guardians' George Valera: Taking seat against lefty
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Valera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
Southpaw Patrick Corbin is on the hill for Texas, so Valera and fellow left-handed hitters Kyle Manzardo and C.J. Kayfus will head to the bench. Johnathan Rodriguez will receive the start in right field in Valera's stead.
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Guardians' George Valera: Swats second homer
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Valera went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Tigers.
The 24-year-old rookie took Jack Flaherty deep in the third inning, giving Cleveland a 2-1 lead the team wouldn't relinquish. Valera has started five of six games against right-handed pitching since being added to the 28-man roster, four at DH and one in right field, and he's gone 8-for-33 (.242) with two doubles, two homers, five runs and five RBI.
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Guardians' George Valera: Fills in for injured teammate
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Valera entered Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Tigers in the sixth inning after David Fry (face) was injured by a foul ball. Valera went 0-for-1 and finished the game as the designated hitter.
Fry suffered the injury when he fouled off an attempted bunt and was struck in the face. He was eventually carted off the field, and Valera inherited a 2-2 count and was called out on strikes. The strikeout was charged to Fry. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt typically rotates bodies at DH -- Valera typically starts against right-handers when the manager isn't using that spot for a regular position player. The Guardians are scheduled to face right-hander Jack Flaherty on Wednesday.
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Guardians' George Valera: Pops first career homer
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Valera went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader sweep of the Twins.
Getting the start in right field and hitting seventh, Valera took Joe Ryan deep in the second inning, one of four Cleveland long balls off the right-hander in a 6-0 victory. It was Valera's first career big-league homer, and through his first 10 MLB games he's batting .269 (7-for-26) with two doubles, three runs, three RBI and a 4:9 BB:K.
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Guardians' George Valera: Contributes to win
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Valera served as the designated hitter and went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Wednesday's 4-0 win over Detroit.
Valera, who remained stapled to the bench for the previous four games, rejoined the starting nine Wednesday and contributed to Cleveland's sixth straight win. He singled in the club's first run and then walked in the ninth inning before being lifted for a pinch runner, who eventually scored an insurance run. Valera has started six of the Guardians' 16 games since having his contract selected at the beginning of the month.
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Guardians' George Valera: Back on bench Monday
Rotowire
Valera is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.
Valera batted out of the two hole in the final two games of the Guardians' weekend series with the Rays, but he'll give way to Nolan Jones in right field and will hit the bench Monday. Since getting called up from Triple-A Columbus last week, Valera has gone 3-for-10 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored through his first five big-league games.
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Guardians' George Valera: MLB debut on tap
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The Guardians are expected to call up Valera from Triple-A Columbus prior to Monday's game against the Red Sox, SI.com reports.
An international signee for the Guardians in 2017, Valera will finally reach the big leagues after eight-plus seasons in the organization. The 24-year-old had been regarded as one of the Guardians' top position prospects at various points during his time in the organization, but his star had dimmed after injuries had slowed his ascent through the farm system. Valera has had two separate stints on Columbus' injured list this season, but the outfielder has been productive when available, slashing .255/.346/.457 with three home runs over 107 plate appearances. Valera will bolster the Guardians' depth in the outfield, but he's unlikely to find his way to regular playing time while he's up with the big club.
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Guardians' George Valera: Back from knee injury
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Valera (knee) was reinstated from Triple-A Columbus' 7-day injured list Tuesday, SI.com reports.
The 24-year-old missed the start of the season while recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon, but he's been fully cleared after completing a 10-game rehab assignment with the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Valera had a .789 OPS with 17 homers in 90 contests for Columbus last year, and he's gone 0-for-5 with a walk and three strikeouts in his first three Triple-A games of 2025.
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Guardians' George Valera: Beginning rehab assignment
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Valera (knee) began a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Thursday, SI.com reports.
Valera is returning from a ruptured patellar tendon that has kept him sidelined since last September. He'll likely get plenty of time to find a rhythm at the dish and then begin his season at Triple-A Columbus when activated.
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Guardians' George Valera: Taking batting practice
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Valera (knee) began taking batting practice this week.
After several weeks of throwing and running, Valera cleared a major hurdle by participating in batting practice. He is recovering from surgery to repair his right patellar tendon, and barring any setbacks, he should be cleared to begin defensive drills in early March.
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Guardians' George Valera: Will undergo surgery on right knee
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Valera was diagnosed with a patellar tendon rupture in his right knee Monday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Valera was placed on Triple-A Columbus' 7-day injured list Friday due to what was initially listed as a right knee strain, but further tests revealed a more serious injury. He will undergo surgery Wednesday, and the expected recovery window is 6-to-9 months. The 23-year-old will finish his season in Triple-A with a slash line of .248/.337/.452 with six stolen bases, 17 home runs and 50 RBI across 374 plate appearances.
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Guardians' George Valera: Goes on IL
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Valera was placed on Triple-A Columbus' 7-day injured list Friday due to a right knee strain.
Valera has been mostly able to avoid injuries this year after losing significant time in 2023 to various ailments. He's struggled to a .248/.337/.452 slash line and a 27.0 strikeout rate over 90 games while playing the whole year at Triple-A. He'll miss at least a week, but if the knee issue is even a moderate concern, he figures to be shut down for the year.
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Guardians' George Valera: Opens season on shelf
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Triple-A Columbus placed Valera (hamstring) on its 7-day injured list Friday.
The outfield prospect suffered a strained hamstring early in spring training and is still working his way back from the injury, so he'll be inactive for the early part of the minor-league season. Valera, 23, slashed .211/.343/.375 with 10 home runs and one stolen base in 312 plate appearances for Columbus a season ago.
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Guardians' George Valera: Strains hamstring
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Valera is expected to miss a few weeks due to a strained hamstring, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
The timeline suggests Valera could miss time following spring training. Valera also missed time last season due to hamstring and wrist injuries, but he played 73 games for Triple-A Columbus and slashed .211/.343/.375 over 256 at-bats with 10 home runs and 35 RBI.
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Guardians' George Valera: Finishing up suspension
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Valera will serve the final game of a six-game suspension Tuesday for Triple-A Columbus, Guardians Prospective reports.
Valera got into a dispute with an opposing catcher during an at-bat in a July 6 game at Nashville, which turned ugly with Valera eventually trying to throw punches while being restrained. It's been a year to forget thus far for the 22-year-old outfielder, as he has dealt with wrist and hamstring injuries while slashing .187/.319/.227 in 21 games for the Clippers.
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Guardians' George Valera: Rehabbing in Arizona
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Valera (hamstring) went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Tuesday's Arizona Complex League game versus the Rockies' affiliate.
Valera has progressed to rehab games in Arizona just a couple weeks after landing on the injured list for the second time this season. The outfield prospect may need a few more games in the ACL before rejoining the Triple-A Columbus lineup, where he'll look to stay healthy for an extended stretch.
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Guardians' George Valera: Doing bat-handling exercises
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Valera (wrist) is doing light bat-handling exercises, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Valera had hamate bone surgery on his right wrist over the offseason and then had to be removed from a game last month with discomfort in the same wrist. There's no timetable for his return.
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Guardians' George Valera: Could require MRI
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Guardians manager Terry Francona said Wednesday that Valera (wrist) could undergo imaging in the coming days, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
As Francona notes, Valera's injured right wrist is on the same hand that required surgery for a broken hamate bone earlier in the offseason. Valera left Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Royals after fouling a baseball off the wrist area, and it's possible the discomfort he was experiencing was related to the surgery. Cleveland will keep a close eye on the outfield prospect over the next few days before deciding his next steps. If healthy, Valera has a chance to receive playing time in the Guardians outfield at some point in 2023.
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Guardians' George Valera: Exits with wrist discomfort
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Valera had to leave Tuesday's game against the Royals with right wrist discomfort, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Valera fouled a ball off during a second-inning plate appearance before dropping the bat and immediately grabbing his wrist area in pain. The outfield prospect had surgery on the same hand over the offseason for a broken hamate bone, so this isn't a good sign. It's not clear at this point how long this might set Valera back.
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Guardians' George Valera: Recovered from offseason surgery
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Valera is starting in center field and batting eighth in Sunday's spring training game against the Rangers.
He underwent surgery for a broken hamate bone in his right hand this offseason but was fully healed for the start of spring training. Valera went 0-for-2 in Saturday's spring game. He is on the 40-man roster but will likely get optioned to minor-league camp before the end of spring training.
