The Cleveland Guardians activated George Valera and Hunter Gaddis off the injured list in their recent roster moves.
The Cleveland Guardians are adding some familiar names to the big-league roster ahead of their series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Here is the series of roster moves the Guardians made on Monday.
George Valera Activated from 10-Day Injured List
George Valera started the season on the injured list after sustaining a calf strain during spring training. Now, the power-hitting outfielder is back on Cleveland’s 26-man roster.
Valera’s calf injury itself didn’t keep him sidelined for too long; it was more of the timing of when it occurred that forced him to start the season on the injured list. The Guardians needed to make sure Valera had his timing down after missing a week of spring training, and he showed just that during his rehab assignment.
In eight games with Triple-A Columbus this season, Valera logged a .825 OPS, including two home runs. Hopefully, this offensive production carries over to the big-league level.
Hunter Gaddis Activated From 15-Day Injury List
The Guardians also activated Hunter Gaddis off the 15-day injured list ahead of their series against the Cardinals, giving Cleveland a much-needed boost in the bullpen.
Similar to Valera, Gaddis suffered an injury during spring training, which delayed his buildup for the regular season. The right-hander experienced forearm tightness at the end of February, which kept him out of spring training games all of March.
Gaddis pitched 4.1 innings at Triple-A over the last few weeks and gave up five earned runs while striking out five batters. Gaddis’ velocity has been slightly down in these appearances, though. Hopefully, this is more of a ramp-up for him than a side effect of the injury itself.
Aug 6, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Hunter Gaddis (33) pitches against the New York Mets during the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesCJ Kayfus Optioned To Triple-A
With Valera being activated, Cleveland needed to find a spot and playing time for him. That came at the expense of CJ Kayfus being optioned back down to Triple-A.
Outside of a two-game stretch against the Chicago Cubs, Kayfus has had a rough start to the season. He owns a .644 OPS with a strikeout rate of 32 percent.
Kayfus is the type of player who thrives with everyday at-bats, and that simply wasn’t available at the big-league level. There’s a good chance Kayfus heats back up with the Clippers, and the Guardians bring him back up at some point this year.
Kobly Allard Designated For Assignment
To clear a spot on the roster to add Gaddis, the Guardians were forced to designate Kolby Allard for assignment, with the veteran pitcher not having any options on his contract.
Allard ate up 4.0 innings for the Guardians in their series loss against the Braves, giving up seven earned runs on 11 total hits. The left-hander is still a solid long reliever, but the Guardians needed a fresh arm in their bullpen, and that came with adding Gaddis.
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