The Guardians have brought José Tena back into the organization, claiming the infielder off waivers from the Nationals, the team announced. Washington had designated him for assignment earlier in the week.
Tena’s path has come full circle. He originally signed with Cleveland as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic before being dealt to the Nationals in the 2024 deadline trade that sent outfielder Lane Thomas to the Guardians.
At 25, Tena is still a familiar name to Cleveland evaluators. He was once one of the more highly regarded players in the system, ranking ninth on MLB.com’s list ahead of the 2022 season and 11th in Baseball America’s rankings. A left-handed hitter, he has spent time all over the infield except first base, though he fits better at second and third than he does at shortstop.
His big league track record is a mixed bag. Tena has played parts of four major league seasons with Washington and Cleveland, collecting 659 plate appearances and hitting .240/.303/.358, which works out to production 17% below league average by wRC+.
The strikeouts have been the biggest drag. Tena has struck out in 27.5% of his career plate appearances, and that number climbed to 31.3% in a career-high 288 plate appearances this past season.
Still, there’s some real bat speed in the profile, along with plenty of hard contact and a strong Triple-A record: nearly 700 plate appearances and a .295/.362/.486 line. The raw power is there, but the swing-and-miss has kept it from showing up consistently in games.
Because Tena is out of minor league options, Cleveland will have to carry him on the Opening Day roster next year or designate him for assignment again. If he clears waivers at some point, the Guardians could outright him to Triple-A Columbus and keep him as depth without using a 40-man roster spot.
For now, he looks like a left-handed bench piece with the ability to back up José Ramírez, Travis Bazzana and, if needed, shortstop.
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