Guardians' George Valera: Will undergo surgery on right knee
Rotowire
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: Cleared for season debut
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Triple-A Columbus reinstated Valera (hamstring) from its 7-day injured list Wednesday.
Valera looks set to make his season debut Wednesday against Toledo after missing the first month of the campaign due to a hamstring strain. The 23-year-old outfielder didn't conduct a rehab assignment with one of the Guardians' lower-level affiliates prior to being activated, but he was presumably able to prepare for his 2024 Columbus debut by ramping up through simulated games at extended spring training in Arizona.
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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: Sent down to Triple-A
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Valera (hamstring) was optioned to Triple-A Columbus by the Guardians on Friday.
Valera didn't wind up playing in any Cactus League games after tweaking his hamstring early on in camp, and it's not clear when he might be game ready. The 23-year-old was limited by hamstring and wrist problems in the minors last season too, slashing .211/.343/.375 with 10 homers in 73 games with Columbus.
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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.
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
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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
Rotowire
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.
