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.
Valera, who has had an injury-plagued season, is active for Triple-A Columbus and hitting .136 with one extra-base hit, 10 walks and 13 strikeouts through 13 games.
He has been on the injured list twice, first opening the season on the IL with a wrist injury and then suffering a hamstring injury in mid-May. Valera was activated from his most recent stint on the IL on June 17 after rehabbing in the Arizona Complex League. He doesn't turn 23 until November, so Valera still has youth on his side, but he has a career .202/.316/.384 slash line with nine home runs in 55 games at Triple-A.
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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: Lands on IL again
Rotowire
Valera (hamstring) was placed on Triple-A Columbus' 7-day injured list Sunday.
Valera missed six weeks to start the season while recovering from wrist surgery. He was healthy for a little more than a week before sustaining a new injury, though he hit just .188 with a stolen base and two RBI over five contests in that span. The outfield prospect struggled a bit in his first taste of Triple-A last year, and injury issues have slowed him down in 2023. He's still just 22 years old, so there's little reason for long-term panic.
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Guardians' George Valera: Activated off minor-league IL
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Triple-A Columbus activated Valera (wrist) from its 7-day injured list Thursday, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.
Valera missed the first six weeks of the Triple-A season due to lingering issues with his surgically-repaired right hand/wrist, but he's now in the clear to continue his ascent through the Guardians' system. The 22-year-old outfielder posted an .816 OPS with 24 home runs in 132 games last summer between Double-A and Triple-A. If his health cooperates, he could make his MLB debut at some point in 2023.
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Guardians' George Valera: Goes on minor-league IL
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Triple-A Columbus placed Valera (wrist) on its 7-day injured list April 2.
Valera underwent surgery on his right hand over the offseason and received a clean bill of health heading into spring training, but he aggravated the wrist in a Feb. 28 Cactus League game and remained sidelined for the rest of the Guardians' spring schedule. He's gradually increased his activities in the six weeks since, but it's not yet clear when he'll be ready to make his 2023 debut for Columbus. The outfielder will presumably join one of the Guardians' lower-level affiliates for a rehab assignment for a few games before rejoining Columbus.
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Guardians' George Valera: Sent down to Triple-A camp
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Valera (wrist) was optioned Sunday to Triple-A Columbus by the Guardians, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Valera has been bothered by a wrist injury, but he wasn't a real candidate to make the Opening Day roster regardless of health. The 22-year-old is widely considered one of the better hitting prospects in the Cleveland system, however, so there's a very good chance that he will make his MLB debut before the close of the 2023 season.
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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.
Guardians' George Valera: Recovering from hand surgery
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Valera recently underwent surgery for a broken hamate bone in his right hand, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The expectation is that Valera will still be in recovery mode when Guardians camp gets underway in Arizona next month. This type of surgery usually requires around two full months of rest and rehab. One of the top position-player prospects in Cleveland's system, Valera slashed .250/.353/.463 with 24 home runs and 82 RBI in 132 games last season between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. If his health cooperates, he could make his MLB debut at some point in 2023.
Guardians' George Valera: Mixed results after promotion
Rotowire
Valera slashed .221/.324/.448 with nine homers and a 22:45 BB:K across 42 games following his promotion to Triple-A Columbus.
Valera's full-season numbers look better, as he put together a .250/.353/.463 slash line with 24 homers in 132 games, but his fairly high strikeout rate and inability to hit for average in the minors offer some cause for concern. However, he did get bitten by the BABIP bug in Triple-A, so it's reasonable to consider that .221 batting average an outlier. It's also worth remembering that this was his age-21 campaign, so merely reaching that level is impressive. Nonetheless, while Valera's power carries his profile, he hasn't posted a slugging percentage north of .500 since High-A. He remains a valuable prospect, but it wouldn't be surprising if it were to take him a few years to develop into a productive big leaguer.
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Guardians' George Valera: Elevated to Triple-A
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The Guardians promoted Valera from Double-A Akron to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Cleveland recently bumped up two of its top position prospects (Tyler Freeman and Will Benson) from Triple-A to the majors, so Valera will move up a level to help Columbus fill one of the vacancies in its everyday lineup. The 22-year-old lefty-hitting outfielder supplied a .264/.367/.470 slash line to go with 15 home runs and two stolen bases in 387 plate appearances for Akron this season.
Valera represented the American League in the Futures Game on Saturday, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a groundout.
On the bright side, the overall picture is far rosier for Valera now than it was earlier in the season, as he's posted a sharp .302/.374/.564 batting line with 11 home runs and 43 RBI across his last 45 games. It took Valera a while to settle in at Double-A, but he's finally starting to deliver the stats we expect from a prospect of his caliber. His overall line (.272/.373/.484) is excellent for a 21-year-old in Double-A, considering that he's three years younger than the average player at that level.
