Guardians outfield prospect is headed for season-ending surgery, Mandy Bell of MLB.com. The 23-year-old sustained a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee while trying to make a catch at the wall in Triple-A. The procedure comes with a six-to-nine month recovery timetable, so its likely Valera will open next season on the injured list. Injuries have sapped some of Valeras value. The lefty-swinging outfielder appeared at the back half of Baseball Americas top 100 prospect lists in both 2022 and 23. Valera underwent hamate surgery during the 2022-23 offseason and has had brief injured list stints because of hamstring i sues in the last couple years. Hed been healthy between the start of May and the middle of September this year, spending the entire time on optional a signment to Triple-A Columbus. Valera had hit very well through Double-A. Sam Mcdowell Jersey His Triple-A numbers are closer to average. Hes a career .229/.336/.424 hitter in 205 games at the level. That includes a .248/.337/.452 line with 17 homers in 374 plate appearances this year. While Valera has a strong 12% walk rate, he has gone down on strikes at a lofty 27% clip. A center fielder early in his career, he has played all but nine innings in the corners or at designated hitter this year. Cleveland has carried Valera on the 40-man roster going back to the 2021-22 offseason. He has spent the past three seasons on optional a signment. Most players can only be optioned to the minors in three separate seasons. MLB sometimes grants teams a fourth option for players who have le s than five full seasons on a minor league or MLB roster. Valera, who didnt play a full season at an affiliate until 2021, could be a candidate for a fourth option. Thatd afford the Cleveland front office an extra year of flexibility. If Valera is out of options going into next season, Cleveland would need to carry him in the majors or make him available to other teams once he is ready to return from the injured list. Zoilo Versalles Jersey