Is it time for the Cleveland Guardians to move on from George Valera?

Every once in a while, there comes a time when an organization must evaluate the future of one of their prospects who was once highly regarded but has run into one obstacle or another that has prevented their ascension into the majors. This is where the Cleveland Guardians find themselves in when it comes to George Valera.

It has been reported that Valera suffered a ruptured right patellar tendon and will undergo surgery on Wednesday. The expected timeline for recovery has been put at anywhere from six to nine months, ending his season at Triple-A Columbus and eliminating any potential chance for him to make his Major League debut with the Guardians in September.

This is just the latest in what has been a somewhat lengthy injury for Valera during his time in the Guardians organization. The previous injuries sustained by Valera were relatively minor when compared to a ruptured patellar tendon, but the growing frequency in severity is something that should be very concerning.

Valera has shown signs of promise from time to time, but far too often, it is surrounded by poor performance at the plate. That is, before going down with yet another injury. Development in sports is not linear, and anyone who argues as such should be disregarded entirely. However, it would be a little more encouraging if Valera did not see such a high level of fluctuation in his performance. The only real positive has been when he has experienced difficulty while progressing through the system, and his numbers have declined, he has been able to show improvement down the line. The only problem has been he does not match or exceed his performance at the lower levels of the minor league system.

Now, what should the Guardians do?

Even though Valera is only 23, the time when people could look forward to him being part of Cleveland's outfield mix in the future or even count on him to be the impact bat they have needed appears to have passed. There comes a point when expectations for what a player could possibly bring to the table need to be adjusted, and that time has long since passed.

Valera has gone from outfield savior, to everyday player, to whatever they get from him is a bonus, to where he is now. Attempting to determine whether or not the Guardians should continue to invest time and energy into someone who cannot stay healthy or whether to move on.

Here is the harsh reality when it comes to Valera, the Guardians should move on. It would be one thing if they were a team that was far from being competitive and could make a case for continued attempts at salvaging a once highly regarded prospect, but the fact of the matter is they have other pressing needs to concern themselves with at this time. Multiple other players have leapfrogged Valera on their prospect list, and the path to playing time in the major leagues in Cleveland is becoming narrower and narrower. It will only be a matter of time before there is no path at all, and Valera will be left behind.

Is this ideal? No, but that is part of the business of baseball. Tough decisions need to be made, even if it means giving up on someone who was once projected to be a key member of a big league club. Perhaps Valera can catch on somewhere else where they can afford to give him all the time he needs to possibly make the majors, but his time in the Guardians' organization should come to an end.