The Cleveland Guardians made their first addition of the offseason on Friday. That acquisition was the return of a former highly touted prospect, as Cleveland claimed Jose Tena off waivers from the Washington Nationals.

It is an odd move; essentially admitting that a prospect didn’t have a future with the organization, trading him, just to bring that same player back two years later.

What could the Guardians have up their sleeve with bringing Tena back into the organization?

Tena made his debut when the Guardians had a surplus of middle-infield prospects, which included Andres Gimenez, Brayan Rocchio, Tyler Freeman, Gabriel Arias, and Juan Brito. Only Rocchio remains from that group.

Yes, the Guardians have Travis Bazzana at second base and Angel Genao emerging as an option, but Cleveland is noticeably thin at middle infield and overall infield depth.

The Guardians learned what extended life without Jose Ramirez is like earlier in this season, and that reality proved the roster needs more infield depth.

Tena is out of Minor League options and would need to earn a spot on the big-league roster, but could find himself in a utility role with the Guardians in 2027. He’s played third base, second base, and shortstop throughout his career, and even played a little bit of outfield, too.

Tena isn’t the greatest defender, mathematically, but he has defensive versatility that could be intriguing in Cleveland's lineup.

The Guardians have been on the receiving end of a few trades over the last decade, only to see those players blossom at the plate with another organization. The World Series was a prime example of this reality.

Tena’s bat has exploded in the same way the likes of Junior Caminero’s have since they each left Cleveland, but there are still some intriguing qualities.

The 25-year-old weighed in at 195 pounds and was just under six feet ahead of the 2026 season. Still, Tena had an average exit velocity of 90.6 mph, a hard-hit rate of 46.4 percent, and an average bat speed of 73.9 mph; all three of those numbers ranked well above league average.

There are still some issues with Tena’s swing-and-miss tendencies, but if the Guardians believe they can fix those issues, Cleveland could have a power-hitting infielder ready to come off the bench.

There’s still a long way to go before Opening Day, and with that will inevitably come plenty of roster moves. Whether or not Tena is still on the roster during spring training remains to be seen.

If Tena is still around at the start of the regular season, the Guardians could very well have an interesting depth piece in their reserves.