The Dodgers announced this afternoon that outfielder Michael Siani has been designated for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to Kyle Tucker, whose record-breaking four-year contract has now been formally announced by the club.
Siani has bounced around the waiver circuit this offseason and now could find himself changing hands once again. The 26-year-old was an over-slot fourth-rounder by the Reds back in 2018 and has bounced from the Cardinals, to the Braves, to the Dodgers since the season ended. He’ll now be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days.
Siani has spent his entire playing career in the National League Central. He very briefly debuted with Cincinnati back in 2022 but made only 25 major league plate appearances with his original organization before being claimed off waivers by St. Louis in September of 2023. He was a frequently used, defensive-minded fourth outfielder with the 2024 Cardinals when he logged a career-high 334 plate appearances.
In parts of four major league seasons, Siani owns an anemic .221/.277/.270 batting line (58 wRC+) but good grades for his defense and baserunning. He’s played 1014 major league innings in the outfield — primarily in center but with fleeting corner appearances mixed in — and been credited with overwhelmingly positive marks from Statcast’s Outs Above Average (16) and from Defensive Runs Saved (7). He’s also gone 21-for-26 in stolen base attempts, giving him a success rate of nearly 81%.
The left-handed-hitting Siani still has a minor league option remaining. He could be a pickup for any club looking to bring in a speed-and-defense option off the bench — particularly one who can freely be shuttled between Triple-A and the majors.
Just once I’d like the agent from a guy in Siani’s position to call a press conference and make the case that he deserves the roster spot more than this new-comer who has never done anything for the Dodgers.
“Who is this other guy, anyway?”
Would be a particularly brazen move for a guy like Siani, who was claimed off waivers last month and, like Tucker, has never done anything for the Dodgers!
It would get his name out there. All publicity etc etc etc.
Siani has never done anything for the Dodgers so it would definitely be an entertaining press conference.
Or any other team that signed him…
Unique. Stupid. Uniquely stupid
The Dodgers are ruining Michael Siani.
The Dodgers eat all the fully loaded nachos and leave the other teams with just, like, chips.
Penn Charter guy.
Feels like a possible pickup for the Cubs, who are familiar with him from his Cardinal days and are looking for a backup CF. Roster is full, though, so they’d have to make the dreaded “corresponding move.”
I was actually thinking that the other Chicago team has a recent opening.
Put him in the outfield next to PCA and you can man 5 infielders comfortably.
Too bad he can’t hit at all though.
With an option left, he could enjoy the Steak de Burgo in Des Moines and wait to see if PCA gets injured.
Meanwhile, some idiot Cubs blog or Facebook fan page would proclaim that “the Cubs claim a replacement for Tucker’s roster spot from the Dodgers.” I will be polite and not name likely suspects.
He’ll be back up when this Tucker guy doesn’t pan out.
Baby, I was Born to Waive.
Elite defense. Good baserunner . No power . Great speed but needs to learn how to bunt a little better. Good bench guy if a team can afford a roster spot. If he was RH hed have more options. Watched him with Cards
4th OF? He was the Cardinals’ starting CF for most of the 2024 season, save for April before he got called up and when he was injured in August.
BAL. they really don’t have a defensive replacement a CF, Cowser’s not a great fit there but what are you going to? you need his bat.
Baseball is so broken. The Dodgers can afford to release a guy who wasn’t going to play anyway.
Baseball is so broken because the Dodgers released a guy who was not going to play. Got it. Good analysis.
This has Reds Reunion written all over it…
I sincerely hope so. The Reds could use him in center field. He’s fast enough that if he learned to bunt well he could get on base a lot more and be a pretty decent leadoff hitter.
Weren’t we saying the same thing about Billy Hamilton a decade ago?
I was and everybody on here was saying that bunting for hits was dead. Nobody wants to see guys bunt anymore. Why not use a guys speed as an asset? I’d still bring him in because he’s at least better than Benson.
Highlight reel full of great defensive plays. That’s about it. Cardinals had him pegged as a starting CF, but he just couldn’t get enough hits.
Siani, no play ani