Active rosters expand from 26 to 28 today. reports that the Guardians are calling up outfielders and as well as right-hander . Infielder is being optioned to Rodney Hood Jersey open a third active roster spot. Valera wasnt on the 40-man but the Guardians had vacancies there. Valera, now 24, was once one of the top prospects in baseball. He crushed his way through the lower levels of the minors. He was eligible for the Rule 5 draft back in the 2021-22 offseason but the Guards made the easy decision to give him a 40-man spot and protect him. More recently, some injuries and Triple-A struggles dropped his stock. Hamate surgery and a hamstring strain limited him to just 79 games in 2023. Another hamstring strain limited him at the start of 2024 and then that season was later ended by surgery to addre s a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee. As the recovery for that procedure was going to carry into 2025, the Guards decided to non-tender Valera. That opened a 40-man roster spot for the offseason, when theres no injured list, but ran the risk of Valera signing elsewhere. Thankfully, the Guards were able to get him back via a minor league deal for 2025 and he has seemingly gotten back on track at the plate somewhat. Over those injury-shortened 2023 and 2024 campaigns, he slashed .235/.343/.427 in the minors for a wRC+ of 99. Here in 2025, he has been able to appear in 28 Triple-A contests with a .255/.346/.457 line and 113 wRC+. Though he spent two years on Clevelands 40-man, this is his first time getting called up to the show. He is in todays lineup, batting seventh and serving as the designated hitter, and will make his major league debut in the proce s. The Guards are hanging around the playoff race, currently just four games back of the final Wild Card spot, and will add Valera into the outfield mix alongside Noel, , , , and . Going forward, Valera could spend more time in Triple-A next year if the Guards dont have big league playing time for him. Given how much time he has mi sed due to injury, he would ideally get regular playing time somewhere. He spent three years on the 40-man and therefore burned three options but the Guards could apply for a fourth for 2026. A team is sometimes granted a fourth option for a player who has mi sed significant time due to injury. Photo courtesy of Adam Cairns, Imagn Images. Ante Zizic Jersey