Guardians Nolan Jones; Hunter Gaddis, George Valera Probably Starting Season in IL
The Guardians took out the outsider Nolan Jones out of the lineup, reports Zack Meisel of The Athletic. That indicates that the guards transferred him to the suspension days ago. Their number of 40 men decreased to 39. Jones has the right to opt for free agency but likely won’t because he would have to forfeit his $2MM salary. Meisel adds that right hand Hunter Gaddis and foreign player George Valera there is a good chance they will start the season on the injured list.
Jones, 28 in May, appeared to have a breakout season with the Rockies in 2023. He had a 20-20 season that year in just 106 games. His .297/.389/.542 batting line translated into a 137 wRC+. He got some help in hitting a .401 average on balls in play but it would have been a strong campaign even with neutral luck in that department. Overall, FanGraphs rated him worth 3.7 wins over the replacement that year.
He has been less productive since then. His case increased in 2024. The Rockies traded him back to the Guardians, his original organization, before the 2025 season. Returning to Cleveland didn’t help him get back on track. He has a .218/.307/.311 line and a 71 wRC+ since the start of the 2024 season and his defensive metrics have also declined. Despite declining production and the fact that Jones is out of options, the Rangers offered him a contract this winter. Jones and the club avoided arbitration with a $2MM pre-tender agreement in November.
Jones didn’t have a great spring either, as he hit .152/.222/.303 in 36 plate appearances. Given his declining performance, his undrafted status and his salary, it’s no surprise that no club claimed him on waivers.
Players with at least three years of service time have the right to outright decline assignments in order to elect free agency. However, if they have less than five years of service, they must waive their remaining salary obligations by doing so. Jones has three years and seven days of service. If he were to opt for free agency, he would have to leave $2MM on the table. It appears he will head to Triple-A and look to get back on track at that level.
Regarding the injuries, Meisel did not provide details but both players have been sidelined by minor issues in recent weeks. Gaddis made just one game appearance this spring, which was in late February. He then saw some arm stiffness and took snaps, which came back clean, according to MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins. His time is not yet clear. The 15-day IL season opener could be pushed back three days, so he could be back less than two weeks into the season, though that scenario obviously depends on him progressing to fitness by then.
Gaddis has been the main setup arm for the Rangers in recent years, catching 68 times since the start of 2024. He posted a 3.11 earned run average last year while striking out 26.6% of opponents and limiting walks to a 7.7% clip. Whenever Gaddis misses, the boys love it Shawn Armstrong again Erik Sabrowski will move up to increase roles in the near future Kade Smith.
Valera was diagnosed with left calf strain about a week ago, according to Stebbins. Assuming he hits a 10-day IL to start the year, that takes him out of the mix for Opening Day. If the injury appears to be moderate, he could possibly be back a week into the season with a three-day return, but his timeline from a health standpoint is unclear.
Meisel notes that Steven Kwan will play at least some center field this year. He has been a lefty in recent seasons, with one inning innings since 2022. Time will tell how often they put Kwan in the middle but that should give them a lot of flexibility in the performance of the other guys. Valera will be in that outdoor edition if he is healthy. Currently, Chase DeLauter, Ángel Martinez, CJ Kayfus again Daniel Schneemann it looks like he’s playing playtime outside. Petey Halpin he was optioned today, per Meisel, so he will start the season in Triple-A.
Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images
