The Rays announced that infielder/outfielder Coco Montes has been designated for assignment. The move opens up roster space for Tristan Gray, acquired earlier today in a trade with the White Sox that is now official.
Montes made his Major League debut by playing in 18 games with the Rockies in 2023, and he split his 2024 season between Colorado’s Triple-A affiliate and the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. Returning to North American ball this past winter, Montes inked a minors contract with the Rays that has resulted five big league appearances and several shuttles back and forth between the Show and Triple-A Durham.
Montes has a .527 OPS over 51 trips to the plate at the MLB level, and he has posted some very strong numbers with the Rockies’ Triple-A team before struggling to a .221/.272/.344 slash over 272 PA in Durham this year. Between the lack of Triple-A production and four of his maximum five in-year options already used, the Rays were perhaps simply willing to part ways with Montes for a player with a bit more roster flexibility and upside in Gray.
The Rockies outrighted Montes off their 40-man roster near the end of the 2023 season, and that previous outright gives Montes some leverage in his next career step. If he clears waivers and the Rays try to outright him to Triple-A, Montes has the right to reject that assignment and become a free agent.
Poor old Chocolate Mountains… maybe he can catch on with someone else if he leaves.
He had decent numbers in the minors prior to this season.
Chocolate Mountains lol.. coco in Spanish is Coconut lol
Okay, Coconut Mountains it is.
And here I thought Coconut Mountains was Tommy Pham’s favorite dancer at Cheetah’s…
Chocolate Mountains might be one of her co-workers.
Designated for assignment is a lame term. Every day many schoolchildren are designated for assignments by their teachers, but you can bet none of these baseball bums ever writes an essay.
Maybe the players being DFA should have to write essays on why they think they were being removed from the 40-man roster and what they need to do better. They wouldn’t be able to join a new team before turning this in.
It’s either that or write “I will not throw gutterballs down the middle of the plate or swing at balls ever again” one thousand times on the chalkboard, Jumanji.
Either way Geoff Hartlieb would wind up with carpal tunnel at this rate. Maybe the IL is his key to staying on a 40-man roster.
Geoff just signed into Chat GPT; I guess he’s taking the easy way out and chose option A.
They have to make room for their big deadline acquisition.
Those numbers were in the PCL, he’s much more disappointing with the bat than the line suggests.
His MLB ceiling is fringe utility guy at best. He’ll never be a starter with his lack of power, kickin 20 out of the park in the PCL is nothin.
Oh believe me, I know. The sad part is this will probably be their big deadline move.
I guess that means we go back to calling Costanza Coco.
This man owned topps chrome last year. He has that going for him