Texas A&M Star Jace LaViolette Faces Road Bump to Start MLB Career

To say former Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette gave his all for the Aggies would be a massive understatement.

With the 2025 season on the line, the Obra D. Tompkins High School product was hit in the hand by a pitch, resulting in a fracture in his throwing hand against Auburn. He underwent surgery, had a pin inserted into his hand and played the very next day against LSU.

After being selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft, it seems like LaViolette powering through his injury did more harm than good, as he is unlikely to suit up for the squad this season, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said in a recent press conference.

What’s the Timeline on His Return?

LaViolette’s heroics likely caused him to miss out on seeing any minor league action this season. After his initial surgery, the southpaw went out against LSU and willed one hit and two RBI in the loss.

”He had surgery last night at 7 p.m. and played in a game at 6:45,” Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley said after the loss. “For him to do what he did today, I mean that’s just maybe the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen on a baseball field and it just shows a lot about how much that kid cares about his team.”

LaViolette is now going through an extensive rehabilitation process at the full support of his new organization with little indication of a return date.

“He ended up having a follow-up procedure at the end of the season once it concluded,” Antonetti said. “It’ll just depend upon his timeframe and how his rehab goes. We’ll hopefully have a little bit more information. He’s actually going to be out in Arizona at some point. We have to do his entrance physical first. That’ll give us a better indication of what the expected timeline would be.”

Texas A&M fans will get a chance to familiarize themselves with LaViolette’s new squad August 22-25 when the Guardians travel to Arlington to play the Texas Rangers.

The Aggies look towards life without LaViolette, and it will definitely be different. In his three seasons in the Maroon and White, he recorded 194 hits on a .285 batting average, 202 RBI and 68 home runs, setting the record for most homers all-time by a Texas A&M player in 2025.