As good a start as the Cleveland Guardians have gotten off to this season, the roster is still incomplete, with multiple players who probably should have been on the Opening Day roster still rehabbing their way back from injuries.
The two notable players who started the regular season on the injured list were George Valera and Hunter Gaddis.
Stephen Vogt gave an update on both players before Saturday's game, and there's some good and bad news about where each player is.
Let's start with the good news; it looks like Hunter Gaddis is getting closer to being activated off the IL. He was actually on the field playing catch before Saturday's game was postponed due to the weather.
Gaddis has now pitched in three rehab assignments at Triple-A, and Vogt said he continued to progress and check the boxes of his recovery. The reliever continues to "build up, but he's feeling good, and that's all we care about right now," said Cleveland's skipper.
Gaddis has given up four earned runs in 2.1 innings of work in the Minors, but the team isn't concerned about the results, but rather that he continues to ramp up while staying healthy. Remember, he pitched in only one Spring Training, which was at the end of February.
"Obviously, you want to see good results, that's the best of both worlds, but especially for Gaddy, just for him to go out and pitch and feel good and get built up, that's what our number one goal is," continued Vogt.
With the Guardians happy with Gaddis' build-up and how he's feeling, hopefully that means it won't be too much longer before Cleveland has its setup man back.
Sep 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Hunter Gaddis (33) looks on against the Detroit Tigers in the eighth inning during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images
While it appears Gaddis could be on his way back soon, it's still going to be some time before George Valera is back with the Guardians big-league roster.
Valera has been seeing action in Triple-A as a part of a rehab assignment, and has looked pretty good in those games, too, but Vogt said the outfielder just isn't ready to play consecutive days yet.
"I think we want to see George get built up to play in five, six days a week because that would be his role." continued the Guardians manager . "Going to be very cautious to make sure that he can do that, so it's gonna be a little more time with George."
Cleveland is wise to be cautious with Valera, since he has a history of lower-body injuries, but that means it could be some time before he's a realistic option for the Guardians this season.
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