The Guardians announced Friday that they’ve designated first baseman Alfonso Rivas for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to catcher Austin Hedges, whose one-year deal to return to Cleveland is now official. The Guardians will have a week to trade Rivas, pass him through outright waivers or release him.
Rivas came to the Guardians in an offseason waiver claim from the Pirates. He’s never appeared in a game for the organization. The 27-year-old has logged big league time in each of the past three seasons, suiting up for the Cubs, Padres and Bucs. While Rivas had a productive rookie showing with Chicago in ’21, slashing .318/.388/.409 in a tiny sample of 49 plate appearances, he’s followed that up with a .233/.316/.342 showing in 410 plate appearances from 2022-23.
Although his production hasn’t carried over to the big leagues, Rivas is an accomplished Triple-A hitter with a .313/.424/.492 slash in parts of four seasons at that level. He’s walked at a gaudy 15.1% clip in Triple-A and fanned at a slightly lower-than-average 21% as well. While Rivas doesn’t have immense power, he’s smacked 40 doubles and 15 round-trippers in 637 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level. It’s an impressive track record of production in the upper minors — one that has clearly piqued the interest of multiple teams.
Rivas still has one minor league option remaining, so for a team looking to add a potential high-OBP left-handed bat to its depth chart or perhaps even its bench competition, Rivas makes some sense — either via waiver claim or low-cost trade.
Cherrington should claim him back for the Pirates
Rivas was a pathetic hitter, Cherington needs to keep away from signing him again
Good D and lefty … keeps Tellez in a DH platoon with a declining Cutch.
At worst he goes to Indy as depth.
Tellez will platoon with Connor Joe and Cutch
Let’s hope it’s more with Cutch at DH and Joe is paired up as the weak side of a RF platoon with Suwinski.
He would take up a roster spot and undeservedly
This team has enough hitters that don’t hit their weight
I choose B
He goes to Indy for depth
BC has repeatedly said that he will increase payroll through trades and free agent signings
Rivas should not be a part of that increase.
Personally I have grown tired of the has been and never will be type players BC pulls up from either the waiver wire or the dumpster
Rivas hit .229 last year. That’s average for the team and it should be better this year
Rivas was not that bad of a hitter. He had like league average numbers vs rhp and was a good defensive 1B.
Davis/Sanchez C… Rivas/Triolo 1b…. Pegeuro 2b… Cruz SS…. Hayes 3b… Reynolds LF… ?????? CF…; Suwinski/Joe RF… Cutch/Tellez DH
Peguero can spot Cruz at SS while Triolo moves to 2nd and Joe to 1st.
Good D at 1st, 2nd, 3rd – solid at outfield corners and backup catcher.
Need to find a true CF and a premium SP plus hope that Davis can be respectable at catcher and his bat comes alive once he settles.
Huge questions regarding Cruz at SS and Davis as catcher.
I’d love to see the Bucs sign Kiermaier or Michael A Taylor to play premium CF, but can see Bae finding an every day role there on the cheap for BC.
Rivas will be traded for Cash to join all the other Cashes on the Guardians roster. Marketing suggestion for the ball park, play Johnny Cash at the 7th inning stretch. “I walk the line “
would be an excellent song when Cash comes to bat!
bro is a AAAA guy
Exactly the comment I was ready to post.
Guy’s the textbook example of how players in AAA lose about 18% of their production.
Minors career BA: .297
Majors career BA: .243
Minors career wOBA: 0.378
Majors career wOBA: .300
If you have a BA of .320 in minors (AAA) and above, you probably have a chance at cutting it in the MLB. You’d also need a minors wOBA of .400 to be average in the MLB.
How do you feel it will play out if he’s given more low-leverage reps over the long haul?
@RandorBierd
Depends what type of hitter he is but expecting guys who are not great at the MLB level to come off the bench and hit is tough. I guess if he’s facing the mop up guy in a 21-0 blowout where it doesn’t matter if he hits a solo shot or not.
He drove in five runs in the biggest comeback in Pirates history. So, maybe he is also good when you are down 9-0?
Low risk stop gap (Rivas) for LF until July when top outfield prospect Jakob Marsee is called up? (Assuming we don’t resign Profar to man LF until Marsee’s July callup).
you guys rly want rivas again?
I am a Padres fan. I think that resigning Profar could be a good idea.
I also want to see what we have in Matthew Batten and Eguy Rosario.
Batten has 6 innings of OF with SD last year, and has played more OF in the minors.
Maybe LF could be a bit of a hodge podge for SD in 2024. At least until mid season when we either call someone up or make a trade.
I don’t care what the assessments are, Rivas could hit better than Hedges blindfolded and with his right arm tied behind his back.
I wouldn’t worry too much about Hedgey’s bat.. in a backup role, he is not going to see many ABs. With Fry as a third catcher – they can easily lift Hedges for a PH when they are in need of a hit.
Think any team will claim him?
Hedges is useless
Musical chairs with Pirate castoffs
With the major baseball expanding in a few years, players like Rivas (AAAA) types will have full time jobs with good pay and benefits. For the time being they’ll get a few cups of coffee in the bigs and they’ll shuffle around the country on the red eye flights as they go through the waiver claim / designated for assignment process twent times a week.
Expansion would be a joke.There are not enough ML pitchers now,and more than half get serious arm injuries.
That didn’t take long. I can’t figure out what teams see in Hedges. No amount of defense makes up for a guy who hits that poorly at the professional level.
Hedges is a master at calling a game. Besides the defensive runs saved the game calling skills are best in the league. The kind of player you would expect to go immediately to coaching once retired. He might be rated the same as a backstop that bats 100 points higher but is average/ below average behind the dish. Guards are planning on taking the division in 24 with defense and pitching. Definitely don’t have the bats needed. That being said they have absolutely the best bargain in baseball in Ramirez. A player that signed for half price to play for Cleveland. He better get a statue at Progressive when he retires.
I don’t think it is just his defense.. but a lot of the planning work with the pitching staff.
Backup catchers don’t get a lot of plate appearances.. let alone meaningful ones. His offense is terrible but largely benign.
How is his defense in LF? Average? The Phillies could use a Jake Cave replacement. Love that he has a minor league option left. Does have okay splits vs righties.
who?
Rivas has a option left, but I can’t remember if the Cubs had outrighted him at some point. If not, he’s going to eventually clear waivers with someone and get outrighted to AAA.
If the Guardians signed Teoscar and JDM, they’d win their division in their sleep.
If that breaks the bank, then get out the hammers.