The Cubs have sent infielder/outfielder Scott Kingery and right-hander Vince Velasquez outright to Triple-A Iowa, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates they cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. Both players have the right to elect free agency but the log doesn’t indicate whether they will or not.
Kingery, who turns 32 tomorrow, signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in the offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster. He gave them some versatile depth off the bench but manager Craig Counsell didn’t use him much. Kingery was on the roster for a month and put into eight games, mostly as a pinch runner, only getting four plate appearances. It seems Counsell and the Cubs preferred Nicky Lopez in that bench role, as they traded for Lopez last week and added him to the roster, with Kingery bumped off as the corresponding move.
In his big league career, Kingery has been a light-hitting utility guy. In 1,160 plate appearances, he has produced a .227/.278/.381 batting line. He has lined up at every position on the diamond except for first base and catcher.
Players have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of free agency if they have either a previous career outright or at least three years of service time. Kingery qualifies on both accounts. He would surely be limited to minor league offers as a free agent, since every club just declined to claim him off waivers. He could stick with the Cubs as non-roster depth who could be called up in the event of a future injury, though he could also look for a comparable role elsewhere.
Velasquez was called up for one relief appearance last week. He tossed 2 1/3 scoreless frames in his first MLB action since 2023. The Cubs designated him for assignment a day later to swap in another fresh arm. Velasquez, who signed an offseason minor league contract, has a 3.71 ERA across four appearances (three starts) with Iowa.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Vendetta against the Phillies confirmed.
It’s a damn shame, after Kingery’s second year you could reasonably expect him to be a pretty good big leaguer.
Sad to see two former Phils get the boot. I saw Velasquez pitch a brilliant 16 K 2 hour game in frigid conditions at CBP early in his career. Unfortunately, that was his peak. And “Scotty Jet Pack” was tearing it up before the Phils’ “hitting” coaches monkeyed with his hitting approach and screwed it up soon after he signed the ill-fated 6 year /24M deal. Best of luck amigos biding your time in AAA somewhere or in the NPB, KBO, or Mexican League, or perhaps you can join another former Phils’ flameout, one time All Star (based in 13 HRs in one month) Dominic Brown, on the sidelines.
He’s an example of a cautionary tale of signing rookies to big contracts. And doing this a day before his birthday. C’mon Cubbies.