6 Cleveland Guardians not on the Active Roster that can crack the Postseason Roster

George Valera, OF

Well, if we are ever going to do it, now is the time. Valera is out of options after this season. We have to find out about this guy, don’t we? In 88 games between Lake County and Akron in 2021, Valera bopped 19 bombs, had an OBP% north of .400, and his OPS was .910. In 132 games between Akron and Columbus in 2022, Valera hit 24 home runs and had a .816 OPS. 2023 was a drop-off year for Valera, but overall, he’s been a decent hitter with some pop (20 homers in 140 AAA games since the start of 2023). However, Valera has not done enough in the front office’s eyes to take OF ABs from other LHHs such as Steven Kwan and Will Brennan.

Given the past hype surrounding Valera, it would still be worthwhile to call him up in September to see what the team has in him. At worst, Valera can give Kwan a few days off his feet in September; at best, if Brennan (.688 OPS) cools down from his hot stretch since returning from the injured list, Valera could find his way into a funky playoff role (I bet you forgot about 2022 ALDS 1B Gabriel Arias, didn’t you?).

Stephen Vogt, Chris Antonetti, and Mike Chernoff will be tasked with many tough choices as they select the 26 best players to try to break baseball’s longest active World Series drought. Keep your eyes peeled on the performances of the six mentioned players over the next two months, as they may decide many critical position races.