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Yankees Acquire J.D. Davis

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The Yankees announced this afternoon that they’ve acquired infielder J.D. Davis and cash considerations from the A’s in exchange infielder Jordan Groshans. Davis had been designated for assignment by the A’s earlier this week. The Yankees transferred right-hander Nick Burdi to the 60-day injured list in order to make room for Davis on the 40-man roster.

Davis, 31, signed with the A’s in late spring after the Giants released Davis during Spring Training in order to get out from under most of the $6.9MM salary he had been awarded in arbitration over the winter. He managed to secure a guarantee of just $2.5MM from Oakland, a far cry from his previously-awarded arbitration salary even after factoring in the roughly $1.1MM in termination pay he received from San Francisco.

After that late spring controversy, Davis went on to appear in 39 games with the A’s where he slashed a roughly league-average .236/.304/.366 in 135 trips to the plate while splitting time between first base, third base, and DH. While his offensive numbers this year leave something to be desired, Davis’s positional versatility and track record as an above-average hitter make him a perfect fit for the Yankees’ current needs.

The club lost starting DH Giancarlo Stanton to the injured list earlier today, and first baseman Anthony Rizzo was also placed on the shelf not long ago due to a fractured forearm. Rookie Ben Rice has scuffled a bit in his first few games replacing Rizzo at first base, while the club has no obvious alternative to Stanton as an everyday DH in-house. Even at third base, where the club is currently relying on the combination of Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu, New York has gotten a wRC+ of just 78 — this ranks second-worst of all AL third-base units, ahead of only the White Sox.

Enter Davis, who entered the 2024 season with five consecutive seasons of solid production with the Mets and Giants. Since the start of the 2019 season, Davis has slashed a solid .265/.349/.438 with a wRC+ of 118. While he’s struck out a 27.1% clip during that time, he’s walked at a healthy 10% rate while flashing 20-homer power. That sort of production would be a major upgrade for a Yankees club that has generally struggled to produce offense outside of the outfield this year even before losing Stanton for at least the short-term. Davis seems likely to slide into the everyday DH role for the Yankees while Stanton is unavailable, but could also spell Rice at first base against left-handed pitching and even contribute at third alongside LeMahieu and Cabrera.

On days where Davis is playing the infield, the Yankees could offer Aaron Judge or Juan Soto the opportunity to get a half-day of rest as a DH and improve the club’s outfield defense by inserting glove-first center fielder Trent Grisham into the mix. When Stanton eventually returns to reclaim regular DH, the Yankees could pick and choose from Davis, Rice, Cabrera, and LeMahieu based on how everyone is performingt. That being said, if Davis can even maintain his production as an Athletic in the Bronx he should be a shoe-in for at least semi-regular playing time around the Yankees infield even after Stanton’s eventual return.

In exchange for Davis’ services, the Yankees are sending Groshans to Oakland. The 24-year-old’s stint in the Yankees organization was a relatively brief one, as the club claimed him off waivers from the Marlins back in February. He was outrighted off their 40-man roster in early March and has struggled to this point in the 2024 season with a .232/.310/.281 slash line while playing all four infield spots in 50 games split between the Double- and Triple-A levels. That follows a similarly rough performance at Triple-A with Miami last year; in 528 plate appearances across 125 games in 2023, Groshans slashed a paltry .244/.339/.330 with just six home runs.

Despite Groshans’ struggles over the past two seasons, it’s not hard to see why the A’s would be willing to give the youngster a shot. After all, the infielder was the 12th overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Blue Jays and received plenty of top prospect buzz earlier in his career, including a stint as a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport back in 2021. That pedigree combined with Groshans’ stronger numbers at the Double-A level earlier in his career provide some reason for optimism that he could contribute at the big league level at some point.

That possibility is surely an attractive one for an Oakland club that has struggled to find a consistent option at third base this year while cycling between Davis, Abraham Toro, and Tyler Nevin at the position. Toro will be out until at least the All-Star break recovering from a hamstring strain, leaving even more opportunity for Groshans to win some playing time at the hot corner.

Vinny Nittoli Elects Free Agency

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TODAY: Nittoli cleared waivers, the A’s announced, and Nittoli has chosen to become a free agent rather than accept the outright assignment to Triple-A.

JUNE 21: The A’s designated reliever Vinny Nittoli for assignment before tonight’s matchup with the Twins. Oakland recalled righty Osvaldo Bido from Triple-A Las Vegas to replace him on the active roster. Nittoli is out of options, so the A’s couldn’t take him off the big league club without removing from the 40-man roster. Their 40-man tally is down to 38.

Nittoli cracked the big league bullpen a couple weeks ago when Michael Kelly was suspended. Mark Kotsay has called upon him seven times, generally in low-leverage situations. Nittoli has allowed two runs over eight innings, punching out five against two walks. It was a generally solid showing, but the 33-year-old pitched two innings and tossed 28 pitches in yesterday’s loss to Kansas City. That’d likely have ruled him out for today and prompted the A’s to bring up a fresh arm. Bido, who hasn’t pitched in a week, should be able to work multiple innings out of the bullpen.

It’s a tough break for Nittoli, who has had MLB cups of coffee in each of the last four seasons. This year’s eight innings already topped his previous combined workload between the Mariners, Phillies and Mets. Nittoli has pitched in five seasons at the Triple-A level. He owns a 4.73 ERA there for his career, though he turned in an impressive 2.70 mark through 23 1/3 innings with Las Vegas before being called up. Nittoli punched out 36% of batters faced for the Aviators against an 11% walk rate.

The A’s have five days to trade him or place him on waivers. Nittoli has cleared outright waivers a few times in his career and would have the right to elect free agency if he goes unclaimed. Since he’s out of options, another team would need to plug him directly into the MLB bullpen if they claim him.

A’s Select Aaron Brooks

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4:02PM: Jimenez has a Grade 2 oblique strain and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos writes (X link).

11:51AM: The A’s announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Aaron Brooks. Brooks will take the place of righty Dany Jimenez on the active roster, who the club placed on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain.

Brooks, 34, signed with the A’s on a minor league deal over the winter and was called up last month to help fill out the club’s rotation mix amid a number of injuries to key veterans such as Alex Wood, Ross Stripling, and Paul Blackburn. That first stint in the majors saw the righty post a 5.82 ERA with a 5.59 FIP in 21 2/3 innings of work across four starts with a strikeout rate of just 10% against a 6% walk rate. Brooks found himself DFA’d earlier this month when right-hander Luis Medina was activated from the 60-day IL, but remained with the club after being assigned outright to Triple-A and will now get another opportunity in the majors, albeit this time in a long relief role.

Despite his lackluster results earlier this year, it’s at least feasible to imagine the righty showing off a stronger performance in his second stint in the big leagues this season. After all, he’s a veteran of six major league seasons who has compiled 56 appearances and 32 starts in the majors during that time as a back-end starter and long reliever who enjoyed some success overseas while pitching in the Korea Baseball Organization from 2020-21. He’s also posted a solid 4.30 ERA in 52 1/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level this year despite the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League.

Brooks will take the roster spot of Jimenez, who has been a decent middle reliever this season for the club this season. In 23 2/3 innings of work, Jimenez has pitched to a solid 3.04 ERA with a decent 20% strikeout rate. Those solid results have come in spite of extreme wildness, however. The right-hander has walked an eye-popping 17.1% of batters faced this year, a trend consistent with the righty’s career numbers. Since making his A’s debut back in 2022, Jimenez has posted a solid 3.32 ERA (118 ERA+) but has never posted a walk rate below 12.4% in a season, while walking 14.5% of batters faced overall while in an Oakland uniform.

Now sidelined for the foreseeable future with an oblique strain, Jimenez figures to work his way back into the big league relief mix once healthy. With pieces like Lucas Erceg, T.J. McFarland, and Austin Adams likely to attract interest from clubs in need of bullpen help this summer, it’s possible that the A’s will have plenty of room for Jimenez if he returns following the trade deadline even in the likely event that the club holds onto superstar closer Mason Miller.

A’s Place Abraham Toro On 10-Day IL, Select Armando Alvarez

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11:17AM: The Athletics officially announced Toro’s IL placement and Alvarez’s selection.

7:54AM: Abraham Toro made an early exit from the Athletics’ 6-5 win over the Twins Friday, and manager Mark Kotsay told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos (links to X) and other reporters that Toro will be placed on the 10-day injured list due to a hamstring strain.  Gallegos reports that infielder Armando Alvarez will have his contract selected from Triple-A Las Vegas to take Toro’s spot on the active roster, with no other corresponding move required since Oakland has space on its 40-man roster.

The A’s acquired Toro in a trade with the Brewers last November, as while Toro was a non-tender candidate for Milwaukee, he has become basically an everyday player in Oakland.  Toro has played mostly third base, while also getting a good dose of DH time, regular second base duty when Zack Gelof was on the IL, and a couple of games as a first baseman and left fielder.  In addition to this versatile fielding, Toro has hit .260/.303/.386 with six home runs over 295 plate appearances, translating to an exactly league-average 100 wRC+.

It’s a solid return for a player on a modest $1.275MM salary, and Toro is also under arbitration control through the 2026 season.  This cost-effective control could make Toro an interesting trade chip for the Athletics at the deadline, or make him likelier to stick around in Oakland as an inexpensive and useful part of the roster.  First things first, of course, Toro will have to return healthy before any consideration can be give to his trade potential, and the severity of his hamstring strain isn’t yet known.  Toro also missed a couple of other games earlier this week due to a sore shoulder.

Tyler Nevin and Aledmys Diaz will likely get the bulk of third base duty while Toro is sidelined, though the A’s might take the opportunity to give Alvarez some playing time.  Alvarez (who turns 30 next month) is getting his first look in the majors after eight pro seasons.

A 17th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2016 draft, Alvarez spent much of his career in New York’s farm system before joining the Giants on a minors deal in 2023, and then another minor league contract with the Athletics this past winter.  Alvarez has played almost all of the last four seasons at Triple-A and has been posting some quality numbers since 2022, including a .311/.401/.528 slash line across 187 PA for Las Vegas this season.

Since Darell Hernaiz and Brett Harris are both recovering from injury themselves, Alvarez became the next man up at third base with Toro hitting the IL.  Alvarez has spent the large majority of his career as a third baseman, though he has seen increasingly more time as a second baseman and first baseman over the last two seasons, as this boost in versatility could help him find a niche on a big league roster.

A’s Outright Seth Brown

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The A’s announced they’ve selected Tyler Nevin onto the MLB roster. To open space on the active roster, they sent outfielder Seth Brown through outright waivers. Oakland also confirmed their previously-reported recall of outfielder Lawrence Butler and designation of veteran infielder J.D. Davis for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

There’d been no prior indication that Brown had been removed from the 40-man roster. The A’s evidently placed him on waivers after Sunday’s game without announcing the move. The 31-year-old has already gone unclaimed and will almost certainly stick in the organization with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Brown has upwards of three years of service time, which gives him the right to decline the Triple-A assignment in favor of free agency. He has yet to reach five years in the majors, though, so testing free agency would require him to forfeit what remains of this year’s $2.6MM arbitration salary. He wouldn’t match that sum on the open market, making it an easy call to report to the Aviators and try to play his way back to the big leagues later in the season.

The lefty-hitting Brown has had a sharp drop in production over the last couple seasons. He slumped to a .222/.286/.405 slash across 378 plate appearances a year ago. The past couple months have been among the worst of his career. Brown has punched out more than a third of the time while hitting just .189/.251/.306 across 195 trips to the dish. He owns a .210/.274/.371 line going back to the start of the 2023 campaign.

That’s well below the form he showed in the preceding two seasons. While Brown has never hit left-handed pitching, he was a solid power threat against righties from 2021-22. The former 19th-round pick took 737 plate appearances versus right-handers over that stretch. He popped 41 home runs, 35 doubles and four triples en route to a .483 slugging percentage. An elevated strikeout rate kept his on-base percentage at a modest .304 clip, but the power made him an above-average hitter when he carried the platoon advantage.

While that once looked like it’d make Brown a potentially intriguing trade target for teams seeking an affordable lefty bat, his performance over the past year and a half sapped any trade value. It now seems likely the A’s won’t find a taker for Brown at all. Even assuming he sticks in the organization for now, he’d be a minor league free agent next offseason if he’s not first reselected onto the 40-man roster. Brown would still be eligible for arbitration for two more seasons if the A’s were to call him back up, but they presumably wouldn’t tender him a contract to match or exceed this year’s salary.

In the short term, the A’s will take their second look at Nevin. Oakland outrighted the righty hitter a couple weeks ago. Nevin quickly hit his way back, running a .296/.365/.667 line in 14 Triple-A contests. Claimed off waivers from the Orioles at the start of the season, Nevin appeared in 40 games for Oakland before being designated for assignment. He hit .220/.307/.341 with four homers while splitting his defensive work between all four corner spots.

Nevin steps into Davis’ place as a right-handed bench bat. He could take a few at-bats from the switch-hitting Abraham Toro at third base and/or the lefty-swinging Butler, who is likely to step into Brown’s spot as the primary right fielder. Nevin is out of options, so the A’s would again need to pass him through waivers if they want to take him off the MLB roster at any point.

A’s To Designate J.D. Davis For Assignment

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The A’s are designating corner infielder J.D. Davis for assignment, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (X link). MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos reports (on X) that the A’s are recalling outfielder Lawrence Butler from Triple-A Las Vegas in what is presumably the corresponding move. Oakland hasn’t announced the transactions, which will likely be made official tomorrow with the A’s off tonight.

It’ll end a brief stint in Oakland for Davis, who landed with the A’s in somewhat controversial fashion. He and the Giants went to an arbitration hearing over the offseason. Davis won that hearing and was set for a $6.9MM salary. Arbitration salaries aren’t fully guaranteed until Opening Day unless the team and player agree to terms before the hearing, though. The Giants signed Matt Chapman a couple weeks into Spring Training. Rather than push Davis to the bench, the Giants released him to get out from under most of the money.

San Francisco paid him 30 days termination pay, around $1.1MM, and sent him to the open market. Davis’ extremely late entry into free agency didn’t do him any favors. He signed with the A’s on a $2.5MM deal that contained an additional $1MM in incentives.

His run in green and gold didn’t go especially well. Davis lost a couple weeks to an adductor strain and appeared in 39 games. He hit .236/.304/.366 with four homers in 135 trips to the plate. That’s essentially league average production in a pitcher-friendly home park and a down overall run environment. Yet Davis needs to be an above-average hitter to provide much overall value. He’s a limited baserunner and defender who has spent the majority of his time at first base this season.

Davis has tallied 97 innings at the hot corner and logged 148 frames at first base. His defensive grades haven’t been great at either spot. While this year’s workload is an exceedingly small sample, that’s in line with Davis’ overall track record as a middling defensive third baseman.

Nevertheless, the Fullerton product has been a solid regular for most of his career. He was an above-average hitter each season from 2019-22, running a cumulative .276/.363/.457 slash in more than 1200 plate appearances between the Mets and Giants. Over that stretch, Davis walked at a strong 10.5% clip and showed above-average power to offset a 27.3% strikeout rate. He had a league average .248/.325/.413 line with 18 homers in a career-high 144 games in his final season with the Giants.

At the time they signed him, the A’s planned on Davis playing regularly at third base and hitting well enough to be a midseason trade candidate. He has been nudged to a bench role in recent weeks. Abraham Toro jumped Davis for the starting third base job with an excellent showing in May. Toro hasn’t hit at all in June, yet the A’s have stuck with him at the top of the lineup. He is under arbitration control through 2026. Tyler Soderstrom, one of the top offensive talents in the organization, is playing regularly at first base. Soderstrom came up as a bat-first catching prospect but seems like a better long-term fit at first thanks to the presence of Shea Langeliers.

The A’s will have five days from the time of Davis’ official DFA to explore trade possibilities. (Players can spend up to a week in DFA limbo, but teams need to start the 48-hour waiver process within five days if they can’t line up a trade.) Any return would be modest, but it’s not out of the question the A’s find someone willing to take on part or all of the approximate $1.38MM still remaining on his contract. If there are no takers, Davis will become a free agent in a week’s time — either via release or rejecting an outright assignment to the minors.

There are a few teams that could look to add a corner bat. The Yankees lost Anthony Rizzo for upwards of a month to a forearm fracture. The Red Sox haven’t gotten much out of Dominic Smith at first base, although they could just wait things out with Triston Casas potentially a few weeks from returning. The Astros released José Abreu last week and are relying on a Jon Singleton/Mauricio Dubón platoon at first base. The Nationals and Pirates haven’t gotten much from the position, while the Reds might be without righty-swinging first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand for the rest of the season.

MLBTR Podcast: Injured Astros, The Chances Of Bad Teams Rebounding In 2025 And More

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • The Astros have lost several players to injury but general manager Dana Brown insists they will be deadline buyers (0:45)
  • With so few teams clearly out of contention, signs are pointing towards a seller’s market at the deadline (7:20)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Out of the five worst teams right now (Athletics, Angels, White Sox, Marlins and Rockies), who most needs to replenish their farm system and who could possibly turn things around by 2025? (11:20)
  • The Guardians need a right-handed right fielder with power. Who is a viable target? (20:40)
  • Will the Marlins to try trade Jesús Luzardo and Jazz Chisholm Jr.? (24:30)
  • Could you see Alex Anthopoulos of the Braves trying to get Kevin Gausman from the Blue Jays? (28:35)
  • How active will the Reds be at the deadline? (32:15)
  • Should the Dodgers acquire Javier Báez from the Tigers and move Mookie Betts back to the outfield and/or option Gavin Lux? (35:40)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

AL West Notes: Evans, Seager, Tucker, Athletics

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A few players from the 2023 draft have already made their MLB debuts, and Mariners prospect Logan Evans could potentially be coming soon due to his recent move to relief pitching.  As Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently called Evans with the idea of shifting from the Double-A rotation to the bullpen, since the M’s are currently in the enviable position of having a loaded rotation.  Working as a reliever could put Evans on the fast track to the Show, and give the Mariners an extra hard-throwing arm in an injury-depleted pen.

A 12th-round pick out of Pitt, Evans has a sparkling 1.16 ERA over 54 1/3 innings for Double-A Arkansas this season, with a 23% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate, and a 53.6% grounder rate.  MLB Pipeline’s scouting report also notes that the Mariners received trade interest in Evans as early as last offseason, after he posted an 0.60 ERA in his first 15 pro innings.

More from around the AL West…

  • Corey Seager has now missed three straight games since leaving Wednesday’s contest with tightness in his left hamstring, though Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry (X link) and other reporters that Seager is “making progress” and that an IL trip isn’t yet being considered.  Seager himself said he was feeling “fine” today but wasn’t sure if he would be back in the lineup Tuesday for Texas’ next game.  Between the scheduled off-days both tomorrow and last Thursday, Seager might’ve caught a break in having some rest built into the schedule, giving some hope he’ll be ready for Tuesday.
  • Astros star Kyle Tucker was placed on the 10-day IL earlier this week due to a shin contusion, and he expects to be fully off crutches within the next day or two, Tucker told The Athletic’s Chandler Rome (link to X) and other media.  From there, Tucker expects to restart baseball activities soon after, so he could conceivably be a candidate to be activated next week.  It seems as though Tucker and the Astros dodged a bullet in avoiding a more serious injury, which is a relief considering the MVP-caliber numbers Tucker has posted to date this season.
  • The Athletics provided MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos (X link) and other reporters with updates on several injured players, including the news that Ross Stripling and Paul Blackburn are expected to begin throwing within the next week.  Stripling has missed over two weeks due to a flexor strain his right elbow and Blackburn has missed over a month due to a stress reaction on his right foot, though Blackburn’s placement on the 60-day IL means he’ll be out until at least the All-Star break.  Kyle Muller also already started throwing this past week as he continues his recovery from a bout of shoulder tendinitis.  Among the injured position players, Esteury Ruiz (wrist sprain) and Darell Hernaiz (ankle sprain) will start strength programs this week.

A’s Select Michel Otañez

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5:18PM: Wood had a setback during his throwing program, as the team told MLB.com and other media.  Wood has subsequently been shut down and no timeline has been given about when he might get back to the rehab process.

11:25AM: The A’s announced a series of roster moves this afternoon led by the club selecting the contract of right-hander Michel Otañez. Making room for Otañez on the 40-man roster is Alex Wood, who the club transferred to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move, while lefty Jack O’Loughlin was optioned to the minor leagues to create space on the active roster.

Otañez, 27 next month, made his professional debut in the Mets organization back in 2018. Initially a starting pitcher, the right-hander converted to relief following the cancelled minor league season in 2020 and reached the upper levels of the minors in 2022. While he dominated Double-A hitters to the tune of a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings of work, he quickly met his match in a promotion to Triple-A, where he struggled to a 6.37 ERA in 29 2/3 frames. Otañez then elected minor league free agency and landed with the Diamondbacks, though his struggles continued with a brutal 6.08 ERA in 37 innings of work split between the Double- and Triple-A levels that year. While Otañez struck out an excellent 35.3% of batters faced with Arizona, a ghastly 16.2% walk rate held him back from being a major league caliber relief arm.

Otañez returned to minor league free agency last offseason and latched on with the A’s on a minor league pact. The club assigned him to Triple-A Las Vegas and he finally found success at the level with his third organization. In 29 1/3 innings of work, Otañez has managed to cut his walk rate to a more manageable 11.8% while maintaining a strong 35.4% strikeout rate that’s nearly identical to last year. His work to cut down on free passes paid dividends in the results department as he’s posted a 3.99 ERA despite the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League.

That performance was enough to convince the A’s to offer Otañez a chance at the big league level. The 26-year-old will make his major league debut the first time he gets into a game and figures to act as a middle relief option for the club from the right-hand side alongside Vinny Nittoli, behind late-inning arms Mason Miller, Austin Adams, and Dany Jimenez. He’ll replace O’Loughlin in an Oakland bullpen stacked with left-handed pitching options after the Australia native threw 3 1/3 scoreless relief frames against Toronto last night.

As for Wood, the lefty’s placement on the 60-day IL is ominous news given that Wood was set to begin a throwing program in his rehab from rotator cuff tendinitis on June 1. That seemingly could have put the veteran lefty on track to return sometime later this month, but now he’ll be out until at least after the All Star break. The 2024 campaign had been a struggle for Wood prior to his placement on the IL, as he pitched to a lackluster 5.26 ERA with a matching 5.27 FIP through nine starts with Oakland.

Hank Foiles Passes Away

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Former All Star catcher Hank Foiles passed away late last month at the age of 94, as noted by various sources including Jami Frankenberry of The Virginian-Pilot. An veteran of 11 major league seasons, Foiles played for the Reds, Indians, Pirates, Athletics, Tigers, Orioles, and Angels throughout his time in the big leagues.

Foiles started his professional career at the age of 19 as a member of the Yankees organization back in 1948, but he didn’t make his big league debut for several years. He was selected in the 1951 Rule 5 draft by the Reds but didn’t make his big league debut with the club until 1953. He appeared in just 12 games at the big league level that season between Cincinnati and Cleveland and collected three hits across his first 20 major league at-bats. Foiles wouldn’t play at the big league level in 1954 but split time with Hal Naragon as the backup to five-time All Star Jim Hegan in 1955. In 132 plate appearances that year, Foiles hit .261 with a solid .354 on-base percentage.

Foiles would appear in just one more game with Cleveland before being traded to Pittsburgh during the 1956 season. Although he had a down season at the plate during his first year with the club, his years in Pittsburgh would prove to be the most significant of his career as he earned the everyday catching job for the Pirates in 1957 and 1958. Foiles made the lone All Star appearance of his career in 1957 when he combined his glove-first profile with above average offense to slash .270/.352/.431 in 109 games.

On the 1957 NL All Star team, he joined legends of the game such as Stan Musial, Frank Robinson, and Henry Aaron opposite AL legends like Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams. Foiles pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth inning with Willie Mays on third base and drew a wild pitch to score Mays and bring the NL within two before delivering a single against longtime White Sox ace Billy Pierce. Foiles later scored from second on a single by Ernie Banks, though the NL would go on to lose the game 6-5.

Foiles would remain in Pittsburgh for two more seasons following his All Star season, and though his offense took step backward with a .209/.314/.355 line between the next two campaigns, he nonetheless made 157 appearances and 402 trips to the plate across those two seasons. 1960 saw Foiles change organizations multiple times, as he was traded from the Pirates to the then-Kansas City Athletics during the 1959-60 offseason but appeared in just six games with the club before being returned to the Pirates. He was then traded to Cleveland to act as their back-up catcher before a late July deal sent him to the Tigers. He finished the 1960 season in Detroit but was selected in the Rule V Draft for the second time that November, putting him in five different organizations over the course of one calendar year.

Over the next two years, Foiles would find his groove at the plate again as a back-up catcher for the Orioles and Reds with a combined slash line of .275/.338/.482 across 43 games. Foiles found himself on the move again in 1963 when he joined the Angels, and he appeared in 45 games for the club over the next two seasons with a roughly league average slash line of .216/.289/.386. He played his final game in the big leagues just a month before his 35th birthday on May 2, 1964. A career .243/.321/.392 hitter who appeared in 608 big league games, Foiles tallied 353 hits, 46 home runs, and 166 RBI during a solid major league career.

We at MLBTR offer our condolences to the Foiles family and to his friends, fans, and others who are mourning him around the game.

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