Guardians top prospect George Valera recovering from surgery on right hand

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Fans wanting to see outfield prospect George Valera when the Guardians open spring training in mid-February may have to a wait a while.

Valera, Cleveland’s top position player prospect, according to mlb.com, is recovering from surgery on his right hand because of a broken hamate bone. He underwent a similar surgery in 2018.

The 6-0, 195-pound Valera is currently taking dry swings and is expected to be a little behind the rest of his teammates when camp opens in Goodyear, Arizona.

Last season Valera hit a combined .250 (121 for 484) with 25 doubles, 24 homers and 84 RBI at Class AA Akron and Class AAA Columbus. The left-handed hitter Valera struck out 145 times, while drawing 74 walks. He posted a .250/.353/.463 slash line and had a .816 OPS.

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This is Valera’s fifth season with Cleveland after signing as a international free agent on July 2, 2017. He was born in Queens, New York, but returned to the Dominican Republic when he was 13 after his father was involved in an accident.

The Guardians signed him as an international free agent for $1.3 million.

Last season Valera played 70 games in right field and 37 in left field. This winter he was playing mostly right field for Estrellas in the Dominican winter league. Valera’s right hand was bothering him for much of the season. It usually takes six to eight weeks to recover from that kind of surgery.

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