The Brewers have sent right-hander Jason Alexander outright to Triple-A Nashville, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. There had not been any previous indication Alexander had been removed from their 40-man roster, so their count drops to 39 in that department. Hogg also relays that outfielder Raimel Tapia, who was designated for assignment on the weekend, cleared waivers and elected free agency.
Alexander, 30, first cracked the big leagues last year when the Brewers selected his contract at the start of June. He worked as a swingman, making 11 starts and seven relief appearances. He finished the year with a 5.40 earned run average in 71 2/3 innings, along with a 14.3% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 50.6% ground ball rate.
He was set to serve as rotation depth in Milwaukee this year but suffered a shoulder injury in February that was expected to keep him out of action until May, which led the club to quickly place him on the 60-day injured list. He began a rehab assignment in June and was optioned to the minors after being activated from the 60-day IL in July. He’s thrown 31 innings in the minors this year with a 5.23 ERA, still getting solid amounts of grounders but with a strikeout rate of just 12.6%.
It appears he wasn’t in Milwaukee’s plans for the near future, so they’ve bumped him off their roster and through waivers. Since he has less than three years of major league service time and this is his first career outright, he won’t have the ability to elect free agency. He’ll stick with the organization as depth but without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.
Tapia, 29, began the year with the Red Sox but was released in June and landed with the Brewers. He got into 20 games with Milwaukee but hit just .173/.267/.288 before getting designated for assignment when the club promoted Sal Frelick. Since Tapia has more than five years of major league service time, he has the right to reject outright assignments while retaining his full salary, which he has done here.
He’ll now look for his next opportunity. The Red Sox remain on the hook for his $2MM salary, allowing any other club to sign him for the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the Sox pay. He’s a career .273/.317/.388 hitter in 626 games, amounting to a wRC+ of 80. He’s also stolen 61 bases and provided average-ish left field defense with the ability to play the other spots on the grass as well.
So did the Brewers say to Jason: “Can’t-stand-ya”…?
Obviously they told him “It’s not you, it’s me.”
Now he can work in latex at Vandelay Industries, his true calling.
Please, a little respect, for I am Costanza, lord of the idiots!
Jason is gettin’ upset!!!
“It was supposed to be the summer of George!”
I’m shocked they’re letting him go. He taught all of the hitters to calculate the velocity, V, in relation to the trajectory, T, in which G, gravity, of course, remains a constant. You can’t buy that kind of knowledge.
Don’t forget about the cotton unis.
You can’t break up with me! I’ve got hand!
And you’re going to need it!
Nope, don’t need hand when they have a free lick.
Every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in!
brewers clearing some space on that 40 man?
guess i’ll go get a beer…
probably to activate LHP relief pitcher Justin Wilson from the 60 day and Woodruff will be back soon as well and Ashby will be back in early September
that’s not the fun answer i was looking for, but will be nice to have another lefty in the pen… i’m still gonna have that beer
Alright who are they adding?!?
Getting injured people back soon.
Jonathon Schoop, cuz he worked out so well last time.
CALL UP KEST
TSEK PU LLAC TSEK PU LLAC
KEST KEST KEST
I keep thinking I’m forgetting something
KEST KEST KEST KEST KEST
KEST
The Summer of George is over!
This is literally how The Summer of George began.
Worlds are Colliding! The Brewers are killing Independent George!
Blue jays fans swear that tapia is good lol
No they don’t
I’m just here for the Seinfeld comments.
disappointed by the lack of Duckman comments tho…
Just about all of them are repeated ones every time a JA article comes out. However, they’re all classic lines.
Yelich,Adames,Burnes, Woodruff, COSTANZA????
DBacks need to sign Tapia to a minors deal before he signs with a division rival and terrorizes them again.
Seriously, the dude always seems to get big hits against AZ and then goes ice cold against everyone else
Oh yeah, well Mr. GM Matt Arnold, the jerk store just called and they’re out of you!
Brewers giving him the it’s not us it’s you routine? He invented that routine!
Now he has plenty of time to get back to his lucrative career of hand modeling. Between that and the importing exporting, he will be back on his feet in no time.
Work just hasn’t been the same since Goerge was fired by Hal. Probably why he went by the name Earl and he was an office supply manager. He wanted to kill himself until he talked to Phoebe.
I can’t believe this is hoping! The sea is angry today…angrier than an old man trying to return soup in a deli!!!
His career has been placed in the trash not thrown in.There is a difference!