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Matt Davidson

A’s Sign Matt Davidson To Minor League Deal

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The A’s announced today they’ve signed corner infielder Matt Davidson to a minor league contract. He’ll report to Triple-A Las Vegas. Oakland also agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Jorge Juan, whom they’d released over the weekend.

Davidson began the season with the Diamondbacks, opening the year with their top affiliate in Reno. The big right-handed hitter blasted eight home runs in 11 games for the Aces, and the Snakes promoted him in late April. Davidson went yard in his first plate appearance of the season in the majors as well, but he went hitless in his other nine at-bats. The D-Backs designated him for assignment when active rosters were reduced last Monday. He cleared outright waivers but declined the assignment in favor of free agency.

While the 31-year-old will remain in the Pacific Coast League to start his A’s tenure, he presumably believes there’s a clearer path to another MLB job in Oakland than there’d been in the desert. The A’s have primarily relied on Sheldon Neuse, Kevin Smith and Seth Brown in the corner infield this season. Neuse has done well in spite of poor strikeout and walk numbers, but neither Smith nor Brown has gotten off to a good start. Davidson is a career .222/.292/.433 hitter in a bit more than 1000 MLB plate appearances.

Juan, 23, has yet to even reach Double-A. His contract was nevertheless selected last November as the A’s set their 40-man roster in preparation for the Rule 5 draft (which never ended up transpiring). Unfortunately, Juan has spent the entire 2022 season on the minor league injured list. Injured players can’t be outrighted, so the A’s could only remove him from the 40-man by releasing him or placing him on the MLB 60-day injured list (which would’ve required paying him the prorated portion of the $700K MLB minimum salary). The A’s chose to release him but brought him back on a non-roster deal after he cleared waivers.

Diamondbacks Designate Matt Davidson For Assignment

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The D-Backs announced they’ve designated corner infielder Matt Davidson for assignment. Coupled with the optioning of right-hander Taylor Widener to Triple-A Reno, the Snakes have gotten their active roster down from 28 to 26 players. Davidson’s DFA also clears a 40-man roster spot; Arizona’s tally now sits at 38, although they’ll eventually need to reinstate relievers Mark Melancon and J.B. Wendelken from the COVID-19 injured list.

Davidson’s latest stay in the majors lasted a little under two weeks. Arizona selected him to the big leagues in late April, and he ultimately appeared in five games. The 31-year-old collected one hit (a homer off Josh Rogers) while drawing three walks in 13 plate appearances. That marked Davidson’s first MLB action since he suited up in 22 games for the Reds two seasons ago.

The right-handed hitter was a regular for the White Sox from 2017-18 but has otherwise picked up scant playing time in the majors. In a little under 1100 career plate appearances, Davidson owns a .222/.292/.433 line. He’s popped 53 homers with an impressive .211 ISO, but he’s also fanned in 34.1% of his trips to the plate. To his credit, he had gotten off to an incredible .386/.471/.955 start in Reno to earn his latest promotion.

Davidson is out of minor league options, so the Snakes had to remove him from the 40-man roster to take him off the big league club. They’ll presumably place him on waivers in the coming days. He’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment if he passes through waivers unclaimed.

Diamondbacks Select Matt Davidson, Designate Matt Peacock

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The Diamondbacks announced several roster moves today, selecting the contract of Matt Davidson. To open a spot on the active roster, right-handed pitcher Corbin Martin was optioned to Triple-A Reno. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-hander Matt Peacock was designated for assignment.

This will be a homecoming for Davidson, who was drafted by Arizona in 2009 and made his MLB debut with the D-Backs in 2013. He has one of the more unusual résumés in the game, as he’s primarily been a power-hitting corner infielder with a penchant for strikeouts, but also tried his hand at being a two-way player, throwing 6 1/3 MLB innings thus far in his career. However, he hasn’t pitched in the majors or minors since 2020, suggesting he’s focusing on hitting for now. In addition to the Snakes, he’s spent some time in the big leagues with the White Sox and Reds, hitting 52 homers in 298 career games. His overall slash line is .223/.292/.433, with a 34.2% strikeout rate. He spent last year hitting well for the Dodgers’ Triple-A team but never got the call to the show. Arizona signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason and he’s gotten off to a tremendous start, hitting eight homers in 11 games and slashing an incredible .386/.471/.955, though still striking out 27.5% of the time.

He’s been exclusively at first base and designated hitter so far this year, meaning the D-Backs will likely use him in the same way at the big league level. Christian Walker has seen the bulk of playing at first for Arizona this year, but is hitting just .132/.267/.316 thus far. If Davidson can provide even half of what he was doing in the minors, he’d be a big upgrade. He also has three years and 112 days of service time, meaning he could be kept around for another couple of seasons via arbitration if the 31-year-old can emerge as a regular in the lineup, like he was for the White Sox in 2017-18.

As for Peacock, he was a 23rd round selection of the club in the 2017 draft. He was added to the team’s 40-man roster prior to the 2020 Rule 5 draft. He made his MLB debut last year and tossed 86 1/3 innings with a 4.90 ERA. His 13% strikeout rate was well below average, but he paired that with a strong 59.2% groundball rate and 7.3% walk rate. He’s tossed 2 2/3 innings for the big league club so far this year. Now 28 years old, Peacock will likely head to the waiver wire in the coming days. He still has options and could attract the attention of teams in need of extra pitching depth in the minors.

D-backs Sign Matt Davidson To Minor League Deal

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Infielder Matt Davidson is returning to the organization that drafted him, as the D-backs’ Triple-A affiliate announced this weekend that Davidson has signed a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Selected with the No. 36 overall pick back in 2009, Davidson has shown plenty of power in the big leagues but hasn’t solidified himself as a consistent MLB contributor despite parts of five seasons in the Majors. The MVP Sports client last appeared for the 2020 Reds, hitting .163/.234/.395 with three homers and a double in 47 plate appearances.

In a total of 1075 plate appearances from 2013-20, Davidson is a lifetime .223/.292/.433 hitter with 52 home runs but a sky-high 34.2% strikeout rate. He’s split his big league time evenly between the two infield corners, and while there was some brief consideration of making Davidson a two-way player a few years ago, he has just 7 1/3 innings on the mound in his pro career.

Davidson will add some right-handed-hitting depth to the D-backs’ infield picture, and he’s coming off a massive performance with the Dodgers’ Triple-A club in 2021. Last year, in just 356 plate appearances with Oklahoma City, Davidson slugged 28 homers and tallied 21 doubles while batting .294/.365/.629 (136 wRC+).

Dodgers, Matt Davidson Agree To Minor League Deal

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6:55pm: First baseman/outfielder Rangel Ravelo is also among the Dodgers’ non-roster invitees to camp, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America tweets. The 28-year-old batted .189/.250/.351 in 84 PA as a Cardinal from 2019-20. Ravelo has hit a much more productive .293/.369/.452 over 1,652 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level.

6:41pm: The Dodgers have reached a minor league agreement with corner infielder Matt Davidson, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. The deal includes an invitation to major league spring training.

Davidson, the 35th overall pick of the Diamondbacks in 2009 and a well-regarded prospect in the ensuing years, debuted in the bigs with the club in 2013. The Diamondbacks traded Davidson to the White Sox prior to 2014 for reliever Addison Reed, however. Davidson didn’t make his White Sox debut until 2016, but the now-29-year-old owns a lifetime .223/.292/.433 line with 52 home runs in 1,075 plate appearances. He was a 20-home run hitter in both 2017 and ’18.

Davidson spent last year as a member of the Reds, with whom he struggled to a .163/.264/.395 mark at the plate with three HRs in 47 PA. He also appeared in three games as a pitcher, tossing 3 1/3 innings of two-earned run ball. Davidson threw three scoreless innings while with the White Sox in 2018.

In all likelihood, Davidson won’t help the Dodgers’ pitching staff. But he’ll at least try to earn a backup role as an infielder behind third baseman Justin Turner, whom the Dodgers just agreed to re-sign, and first baseman Max Muncy.

Reds Outright Four To Triple-A

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The Reds outrighted four players to Triple-A on Wednesday, the team announced. Jesse Biddle, Matt Bowman, Matt Davidson, and Travis Jankowski all cleared waivers. Bowman had been on the 45-day IL, but not on the 40-man, so the Reds 40-man roster now has three open spots.

Bowman is a 29-year-old right-hander originally claimed off waivers from the Cardinals after the 2018 season. He made 27 appearances out of the bullpen for the Reds in 2019, pitching to a 3.66 ERA/3.68 FIP across 32 innings with 7.0 K/9 to 3.7 BB/9. The Maryland native unfortunately underwent Tommy John surgery on September 1st, making the 2022 season the earliest he is likely to return to action.

Biddle was the 27th overall pick of the 2010 draft by the Phillies, though he never appeared with Philadelphia in the big leagues. He has seen big-league action for the Braves, Mariners, Rangers, and Reds, making one outing with Cincinnati in 2020 before being sidelined with shoulder discomfort. The 28-year-old owns a 4.68 career ERA in 92 1/3 innings across 91 appearances.

Jankowski came to the Reds from the Padres for international slot money after the 2019 season. The southpaw-swinging outfielder went just 1-for-15 at the plate, appearing 7 times as a pinch-runner, and contributing 49 1/3 innings of outfield defense for the 2020 Reds. The 29-year-old owns a career triple slash of .238/.315/.313 in 350 career games.

The 29-year-old Davidson surprisingly appeared in 20 games for the Reds in 2020 after spending all of 2019 with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate. This marked his second return to the bigs after a somewhat prolonged absence, previously returning to the Show in 2016 with the White Sox after making his debut in 2013 with the Diamondbacks. Davidson has been attempting life as a two-way player, and he did make 3 pitching appearances for the Reds, though most of his usage came as a DH or pinch-hitter. He slashed .163/.234/.395 across 47 plate appearances with 3 home runs. On the mound, he gave up 2 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of work.

Reds Outright Matt Davidson

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The Reds have outrighted infielder Matt Davidson, the team announced. Davidson accepted the assignment and will remain part of the organization. Meanwhile, the club placed right-hander Tyler Thornburg on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow sprain and recalled righty Jose De Leon.

The Reds designated Davidson for assignment on Sept. 8, which came after the two-time 20-home run hitter batted .163/.234/.295 with three homers in 47 plate appearances. He also saw a bit of time on the mound, throwing 3 1/3 innings of two-earned run ball.

The elbow problem represents yet another troubling injury for Thornburg, who was a premier reliever with the Brewers in 2016 but has fallen off since the Red Sox acquired him entering 2017. Thornburg missed all of that season, during which he underwent thoracic outlet surgery, and has only totaled 49 2/3 innings in the majors since. The 31-year-old has performed decently in his first season with the Reds, though, having struck out 10 and yielded three earned runs on six hits and five walks.

Reds Designate Matt Davidson For Assignment

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The Reds announced that they’ve designated infielder Matt Davidson for assignment.

Davidson, an offseason minor league signing for Cincinnati who previously appeared in the majors as a member of the Diamondbacks and White Sox, totaled 47 plate appearances for the Reds before they designated him. The 29-year-old homered three times during that short span, but he could still only put together a .163/.234/.395 line in 22 games.

Of course, Davidson is one of the rare major leaguers capable of playing a two-way game. He made his debut on the mound as a right-hander with the White Sox in 2018 and has added another 3 1/3 frames as a Red this season. Davidson gave up two earned runs on two walks (one strikeout) and four hits in 2020 prior to his designation.

Reds Place Matt Davidson On COVID-19 Injured List

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Prior to today’s game, the Reds placed infielder Matt Davidson on the ten-day COVID-19 injured list after Davidson tested positive for the virus.  Aristides Aquino and right-hander Tejay Antone were called up from Cincinnati’s minor league training site to fill the roster spots left by Davidson and by catcher Tucker Barnhart, who went on the paternity list.

Davidson was in the starting lineup for Friday’s 7-1 Cincinnati victory over Detroit, so in the wake of this positive test, surely there must be some concern within the Reds clubhouse about whether others could have been infected.  As noted by Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds haven’t had any coronavirus cases since prior to the opening of Summer Camp, when two players tested positive during the initial round of intake testing.

Davidson signed a minors contract with the Reds over the offseason, and Friday’s game marked his first bit of Major League action since the 2018 season.  While Davidson slugged 46 homers over 939 PA for the White Sox in 2017-18, he wasn’t a productive offensive player overall, with a .224/.291/.435 slash line.  Davidson has also dabbled with pitching, though the Reds seems to be focusing on him as a position player only.

Aquino was the talk of baseball last summer after he slugged 15 homers and posted a 1.129 OPS over his first 124 plate appearances, though he quickly cooled off after that incredible start.  He’ll now get another chance at playing time, and could be aided by the existence of a DH spot rather than having to fight for space in a crowded Reds outfield.

Antone was a fifth-round pick for the Reds in the 2014 draft, and he’ll head to the big leagues after posting a 3.74 ERA, 2.80 K/BB rate, and 6.8 K/9 over 611 1/3 career minor league innings.  A grounder specialist, Antone is ranked 20th on MLB Pipeline’s list of the top prospects in Cincinnati’s farm system.

Reds Finalize Opening Day Roster

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve filled the final two spots on their 30-man roster by selecting the contracts of infielders Christian Colon and Matt Davidson. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, right-hander Justin Shafer and left-hander Josh D. Smith were designated for assignment.

Colon, 31, returns for a second season with the Cincinnati organization. The former No. 4 overall draft pick (Royals, 2010) spent the bulk of the 2019 season with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, hitting .300/.372/.443. He joined the big league club late in the year but only tallied eight plate appearances. Colon has played second base, third base and shortstop in the Majors, but he’s never justified that lofty draft status. In 150 big league games, he’s a .256/.321/.318 hitter.

The 29-year-old Davidson was a top pick himself in 2009 (No. 35 to the White Sox) and long rated as one of MLB’s top 100 prospects. Strikeout issues have long plagued the slugger, however, and in parts of four big league seasons he’s a .226/.295/.435 hitter with 49 home runs and a 34.5 percent strikeout rate. Davidson, who hit .264/.339/.527 with the Rangers’ Triple-A club in 2019, was at one point experimenting with a role as a two-way player. However, he’s only tossed three professional innings, and the Reds listed him as a pure infielder.

Both Colon and Davidson will give the Reds some infield depth off the bench, but they’ll likely take a back seat to Josh VanMeter and perhaps Kyle Farmer in that regard.

Shafer, meanwhile, has been designated for assignment by his second team in eight months. The Blue Jays designated him last November after a shaky showing in his first 48 MLB frames. Shafer turned in a solid 3.75 ERA in that span, but he also walked 32 batters and plunked another two in that time. His 5.52 FIP paints a much less favorable picture. Shafer has excelled in both Double-A and Triple-A, and he still has a pair of minor league option remaining — all of which likely appealed to the Reds when they acquired him (for cash) shortly after his original DFA. Cincinnati will have a week to trade Shafer, release him, or try to pass him through outright waivers.

Smith, 30, made his MLB debut last season but struggled to a 6.39 ERA in 12 2/3 innings between Cleveland and Miami. He’s worked 164 frames across four Triple-A seasons and carries a 3.02 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in that time. The Reds claimed him off waivers from the Marlins this past offseason.

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