The final few days of Spring Training always come with a significant amount of roster shuffling. Prospects play their way onto the team. Veterans on minor league deals trigger opt-out or upward mobility clauses that force teams to decide whether to select their contracts or let them go. Each of those unexpected promotions costs someone else an active roster spot.
For players who still have minor league options remaining, that's less likely to spur roster movement. They can be sent down without going on waivers, so they'll only be designated for assignment if they're the final player on the 40-man roster. Teams face a tougher call when deciding on a fringe player who is out of options. Do they shoehorn them onto the bench or in a low-leverage relief role? If not, there's a decent chance they're losing that player via waivers or a trade for a minimal return.
We've already seen a number of players whose out-of-options status has pushed them around the league. Although it's not technically an offseason consideration, an out-of-options player is more likely to be DFA over the winter if the team thinks they'll inevitably be squeezed off the roster at the end of Spring Training.
Jack Suwinski, Vidal Brujan, Ben Rortvedt, Andy Ibáñez and Marco Luciano are among the players who have changed teams at least once (often multiple times) because of their out-of-options status. The Yankees finally succeeded in getting Luciano through waivers unclaimed. The other four players remain on their clubs' respective 40-man rosters, though with the possible exception of Ibáñez, they're all facing uphill paths to avoiding another DFA a month from now.
We'll run through a few more who could be playing for their jobs this spring. This isn't our annual exhaustive list of every out-of-options player on a 40-man roster. That'll also be published soon and will include a number of names (e.g. Edward Cabrera, Jo Adell) who obviously aren't getting cut. This exercise will set aside any players like those aforementioned who have already changed teams this offseason and plenty more who seem most likely to clear waivers and remain with their current clubs in a non-roster capacity.
- Luis Matos/Jerar Encarnacion (Giants)
The Giants are unlikely to have room on the roster for Matos and Encarnacion. There's a decent chance they both end up squeezed off the roster. They're each right-handed bats with limited defensive value. Matos has played some center field but should be limited to the corners. Encarnacion is a corner outfielder/first baseman.
Matos has the better shot of the two to win a bench job. He's four years younger and not too far removed from being one of the organization's better prospects. Matos has had flashes of capable offense built around his plus bat-to-ball skills, but an aggressive approach has limited his consistency. The 24-year-old owns a .231/.281/.369 batting line with 15 home runs across 593 MLB plate appearances over the past three years. He's a .287/.345/.505 hitter at the Triple-A level.
Encarnacion hasn't produced much in 54 big league games over the past two seasons. His '25 campaign was repeatedly interrupted by injuries. Encarnacion has mashed in Triple-A when healthy and has obvious power upside in a 6'4", 260 pound frame.
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Ben Rortvedt deserves a roster spot. Perfect back up catcher for the Dodgers last season. Handled pitchers well. Steady in high pressure situations. Not a heavy hitter but a useful one. Bunting to move the base runners for example.
Dodgers agreed twice until they didn’t. It’s got to be frustrating for him and his family but he’s still getting paid and hanging on to the dream.
everybody wants him to be thier 3rd catcher and off the 40 man roster. depending on catcher injuries over the next month, he’ll probably manage to land a back up spot, but i’d bet he gets dfa’d at least 2 more times this season.
Am I the only one still rooting for Suwinski ? Damn, thought he might be a player for a while there.
I wanted the Astros to claim Suwinski but I guess $1.25 million is too much for the cheap Jim Crane.
he would have been a good player had then hitting coach Andy Haines not tried to make him more of a contact hitter and not a power hitter
Luis Campusano?
Lance McCullers Jr?
Has more than 5 years of MLB service time
He has more than 10. My point is that is he not an out of options player to watch?
When this site refers to “out of options” players they are referring to players with fewer than 5 years of service time. Once you have 5 years the “veteran’s consent” rule comes into play and you cannot be sent down without your express consent regardless of how many options you technically have remaining.
Every player is given 3 option years after they make their MLB debut. (they can be optioned each of those years as many times as the team chooses). In some cases of injury a team can petition for a 4th option year. Once a player is out of options they have to either make the big league club or be subjected to waivers. If a player with less than 3 years service time goes unclaimed the players team can outright them to the minor leagues. Once a player is outrighted once they cannot be outrighted again without their consent but any player with less than 5 years service time forfeits their salary if they choose free agency instead of being sent to the minors. There are a bunch of other nuances but this is the general blueprint.
Wow. But thanks for the information.
Too early to give up on Luis Matos. The kid just turned 24 years old. Out of all the fringe players mentioned, Matos probably has the most upside. Just needs to find a landing spot with lots of runway and consistent playing time.
Agreed. Hope he stays with the Giants. I have always liked his bat and attitude. Very good teammate too. Completely disagree with the story saying “limited defensive ability”. Matos isn’t a gold glover for sure but he’s a decent outfielder.
Matos is more in danger of the DFA
He finally got a start today but he’s in more jeopardy. Encarnacion plays first and he’s got big power; Matos is a better OF but his defense out there has been poor; I watch almost all the Giant games, he’s not a good OF. That’s why they signed Bader.
He’d be great in a smaller ballpark. He doesn’t fit in SF. With Bader there now and Fitzpatrick also able to play the OF (and he has options) Matos’ time has come.
Fitzpatrick?
Mastrobouni is potentially without a spot in Seattle.
I think Matos will be on the Opening Day roster.
I agree. Matos plays all 3 outfield spots. He has a ton of untapped potential and he is a positive energy guy. He’s having a good spring so far.
Encarnacion is a corner guy only and despite having big time power potential, he was a waste of a roster space last year. He’s also having a terrible spring so far 1 for 11, no walks and an error.
DFA Encarnacion and re-sign him to a minor league deal. I doubt any team is going to claim Encarnacion. If they DFA Matos, he’s getting claimed instantly.
I’d option Drew Gilbert. He has options right? And give Matos a chance. He’s got too much potential. Gilbert can come up later if needed. His defense is mediocre but he makes contact offensively and shows flashes of power.
He’ll have a big opportunity with the entire Giants starting outfield leaving for the WBC. Hope he seizes the chance.
The Phillies signed Stubbs to a split contract in part because they believe it will ensure his passage through waivers. He’ll earn $575K while in the minors, and I have a hard time believing another team will sign up for that.
Yes…that was clever
I’d love the Yankees to swing a trade for Matos to take the Grichuk spot on the roster. There’s enough upside there for him to be a better use of a roster spot than Grichuk.