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Blue Jays Place Chris Bassitt On 15-Day Injured List

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The Blue Jays are placing veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt on the 15-day injured list due to low back inflammation, per a team announcement. The move is retroactive to September 19. Left-hander Mason Fluharty was recalled to the roster to take Bassitt’s place. The right-hander will be eligible to be activated from the shelf on October 3, meaning that a minimum stint would allow him to pitch Game 1 of the ALDS. Toronto is on the verge of clinching a spot in the postseason and is an overwhelming favorite to secure a bye through the Wild Card series, though he would be unavailable for that series on the off chance the Blue Jays fail to secure one of the top two seeds in the American League this year.

Bassitt, 36, has turned in a solid season in 2025 that’s generally consistent with his years of work as a solid mid-to-back of the rotation starter. While the right-hander made his big league debut in 2014 and made occasional appearances with the White Sox and A’s over the first few years of his career, it wasn’t until his age-30 season in 2019 when he broke out as a regular starter with the Athletics. In seven years since then, Bassitt has pitched to a 3.60 ERA (116 ERA+) with a 3.94 FIP across 1087 1/3 innings of work with the A’s, Mets, and Blue Jays. In that time, he’s made an All-Star appearance and finished in the top 10 of Cy Young award voting on three separate occasions.

As he’s entered his mid thirties, Bassitt’s effectiveness has dwindled somewhat. After posting an ERA+ of 130 from 2018-2021, that figure has dropped to a less impressive 110 since his age-33 season back in 2022. He’s made up for that dip in production by offering impressive durability, however. In each of the past four seasons, Bassitt has made at least 30 starts and thrown at least 170 innings. His 723 innings of work over the past four years trails only Logan Webb, Framber Valdez, and teammate Kevin Gausman in all of baseball.

With such an impeccable track record of durability in recent years, it goes without saying that Bassitt heading to the shelf is somewhat unusual. Fortunately, this particularly IL stint should have little negative impact on the Jays so long as he manages to return healthy and effective after a minimum stay on the shelf. As previously mentioned, the Blue Jays are all but guaranteed not only a playoff spot, but a bye through the Wild Card round of the playoffs at this point in the calendar.

Even in the unlikely scenario where they are forced to play in the Wild Card series, Gausman would surely take the ball for Game 1 with Shane Bieber as the heavy favorite to start Game 2. While it’s possible Bassitt’s number would’ve come up in a hypothetical Game 3, the Jays will still be able to turn to any of Jose Berrios, Trey Yesavage, Max Scherzer, and Eric Lauer for that game as needed, particularly given the fact that they can rest assured that Bassitt will be in line to take the ball for Game 1 of the ALDS barring any setbacks that force him to stay on the shelf beyond the minimum stint.

Berrios was moved to the bullpen earlier this week, and Lauer has been pitching in relief of late as well. Scherzer has been effective in most of his starts for the Jays, but a seven-run blow-up outing where he recorded just two outs his last time out raises some concerns. Yesavage is unproven with just one big league appearance under his belt, but has pedigree has a top prospect and looked dominant in his MLB debut earlier this week. None of those options seem as reliable as Bassitt, and if his stay on the shelf extends beyond a minimum stay that would be a real blow to the Jays’ depth ahead of the playoffs. Manager John Schneider told reporters (including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet) today that they’re waiting on further testing to determine an exact course of action with Bassit, but that it will “hopefully” be a “fairly quick” turnaround for the righty.

In the meantime, Bassitt will be replaced on the active roster by Fluharty. The rookie left-hander has made 51 appearances with the Blue Jays this year and has pitched to a 4.94 ERA with a 4.35 FIP across 47 1/3 innings of work. Fluharty is unlikely to get many high leverage opportunities given his shaky numbers, but once the Blue Jays officially clinch his presence on the roster could provide Toronto with another fresh arm so they can lean less heavily on their top relievers ahead of the postseason.

Brewers Designate Joel Payamps, Select Bruce Zimmermann

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The Brewers announced that right-hander Joel Payamps has been designated for assignment.  Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann’s contract was selected from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and he’ll replace Payamps on both the 28-man and 40-man rosters.

This is the second time Payamps has been DFA’ed this season, and his first designation resulted in Milwaukee outrighting the reliever off the 40-man roster and down to Triple-A Nashville.  The Brewers selected Payamps’ contract back up to the big league roster at the start of September, and while he posted a 3.38 ERA over 5 1/3 innings after his return, it wasn’t enough to keep Payamps from being sent back to the waiver wire.

Payamps was one of the more underrated relief arms in baseball in 2023-24, recording a 2.78 ERA and 48 holds over 129 2/3 innings out of Milwaukee’s bullpen.  Payamps appeared in 137 games over those two seasons plus three more appearances in the playoffs, and it is possible this workload simply caught up to the righty in 2025.

Over 23 2/3 frames and 28 games this year, Payamps struggled to a 7.23 ERA, 20.4% strikeout rate, and 8.3% walk rate.  A 4.24 SIERA is a more flattering look at Payamps’ performance, as he received some bad luck on both the strand rate (58.7%) and batted-ball luck (.361 BABIP) fronts.

However, these caveats weren’t enough for the Brewers to keep him around, and Payamps’ status is complicated by his lack of minor league options.  The Brew Crew have therefore been forced to DFA the reliever rather than just send him to Triple-A, and because Payamps has been outrighted once, he can now elect to reject any future outright assignments in favor of free agency.

Should he clear waivers after this DFA period, Payamps could leave the Brewers organization altogether.  A parting of the ways this winter seems likely anyway, as Milwaukee will probably decline to tender Payamps a contract.  He is earning $2.995MM in 2025, and is eligible for arbitration for the third and final time this offseason.

Zimmermann signed a minor league deal with the Brewers back in December, then opted out of that contract in July only to sign a fresh new deal with the club a few days later.  After almost a full season in Nashville, Zimmermann now gets a chance to log his first big league innings since the 2023 season, when he was a member of the Orioles.  All four of Zimmermann’s MLB seasons came in a Baltimore uniform, as the southpaw posted a 5.57 ERA over 158 1/3 innings and 38 games (27 stars) for the O’s from 2020-23.

The left-hander spent the entirety of the 2024 season in the Orioles’ farm system before moving to the Crew, and Zimmermann has a 4.11 ERA and an impressive 5.2% walk rate across 138 innings in Nashville.  Zimmermann has worked as both a starter and as a long reliever this year, so the Brewers could use him to soak up some late-season innings to keep other pitchers fresh for the playoffs.

Orioles Claim Dom Hamel

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The Orioles announced that right-hander Dom Hamel was claimed off waivers from the Mets.  Hamel has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.  Baltimore already had a vacancy on its 40-man roster so no further transaction was required.

New York designated Hamel for assignment earlier this week, and the 26-year-old will change organizations for the first time in his pro career.  Hamel was a third-round pick for the Mets in the 2021 draft, and his time with the club culminated in his Major League debut this past Wednesday.  Despite three singles and a hit batter over a single inning of work, Hamel escaped from his first MLB game without allowing any runs.

The long ball has been Hamel’s biggest obstacle in his climb up the minor league ladder, as his homer rate spiked considerably once he made his Triple-A debut in 2024.  Over 192 1/3 innings at Triple-A Syracuse, Hamel allowed 35 home runs, which contributed heavily to his 6.27 ERA in the last two seasons.  On the plus side, he did post a solid strikeout rate at Triple-A, and he cut his walk rate from 13.2% in 2024 to 7.4% this season.

The 2025 campaign has also seen Hamel go from a full-fledged starter role to more usage as a relief pitcher, sometimes in a regular bullpen role and other times as an opener or as a multi-inning reliever.  At least the bottom-line numbers were somewhat better for Hamel as a reliever (4.61 ERA) than as a starter (6.18 ERA), though the role change didn’t exactly unlock a new level of success.

Baltimore’s claim gives the Orioles some time to evaluate Hamel both in the remainder of this season and into the winter.  While Hamel might well be a DFA candidate again depending on how the Orioles upgrade their 40-man roster during the offseason, he has all three of his minor league options remaining, so that flexibility could give him some extra appeal to Baltimore’s 2026 bullpen plans.

Guardians Place Nolan Jones On 10-Day IL, Promote Petey Halpin

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The Guardians announced that outfielder Nolan Jones has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain.  Outfielder Petey Halpin was called up from Triple-A Columbus in the corresponding move, and no other transaction was required since Halpin was already on the 40-man roster.

Jones came off the bench as a late-game sub in the Guardians’ 6-2 win over the Twins yesterday, but was replaced by a pinch-hitter when it was his turn at bat.  The timing of the injury will at least end Jones’ regular season, and will probably sideline him for any October action if Cleveland can make the playoffs.

It already didn’t seem too likely that Jones would make a postseason roster anyway, given how he has struggled in his return to Cleveland.  Re-acquired from the Rockies in a trade just prior to Opening Day, Jones has hit just .211/.296/.304 over 403 plate appearances with the Guards this season.  Seemingly a breakout rookie with Colorado in 2023, Jones has fallen back to earth since a .218/.307/.311 slash line in an even 700 PA since the start of the 2024 campaign.

Despite these numbers, Jones was still getting semi-regular playing time in the Guardians’ lineup, mostly working in a timeshare capacity in center and right field.  Since Steven Kwan is the only cornerstone piece of Cleveland’s ever-shifting outfield, the Guards can juggle any number of players around to pick up at-bats over the season’s final nine games.  Losing Jones does remove one less option for what will be a busy day for the roster, as the Guardians play a doubleheader against Minnesota.

As such, the door could be open for Halpin to receive the first Major League playing time of his pro career.  A third-round pick for Cleveland in the 2020 draft, Halpin was added to the 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.  Halpin was promoted to Triple-A for the first time this year, and has hit .249/.321/.414 over 553 PA in Columbus, with 14 homers and 15 steals (in 18 attempts).

Baseball America ranks Halpin 24th on their list of the top 30 Guardians prospects, describing him as at least a “solid fourth outfielder” type due to his speed and excellent defense.  It remains to be seen whether he can hit enough to gain any kind of regular playing time in the bigs, as Halpin hasn’t shown much in the power department.  Known as a contact hitter, his strikeout rate ballooned to 28.2% in Columbus, so Halpin will need to be much more selective if he is to have any chance against Major League pitchers.

Dodgers Place Michael Kopech On 15-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers announced that right-hander Michael Kopech has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right knee.  Righty Will Klein was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Klein’s locker in the clubhouse was noted by several L.A. beat writers earlier today, leading to speculation that Kopech was going to be sidelined since manager Dave Roberts said yesterday that Kopech was playing at less than 100 percent.  Kopech addressed his situation with MLB.com’s Sonja Chen and other reporters, noting that his command was being impacted by “a couple different things right now” and not just his knee soreness.

The reliever also noted that he has had difficulty performing given the stop-and-start nature of his injury-plagued season.  Kopech has tossed only 11 innings in 2025 due to a pair of stints on the 60-day injured list — one due to a shoulder impingement, and another due to a prior bout of knee inflammation.  While the righty has a 2.45 ERA over his 11 frames, Kopech is clearly not himself, issuing 13 walks against 12 strikeouts.

Given the timing of the IL placement, Kopech’s regular season is now officially over, and his availability for both a first-round playoff series (and the playoffs in general) now seems in question.  Roberts hopes that resting Kopech now will get him healthy for the postseason, and described Kopech as “pitchable” right now, but the Dodgers felt it was wiser to give the right-hander some time off now with a playoff berth already clinched.

Even if Kopech is fully healthy, it is anyone’s guess as to how he might pitch in October.  As much as the Dodgers might be tempted to go with another arm for their playoff roster, it was just a year ago that Kopech was one of the key figures in the team’s World Series run.  After Kopech was acquired from the White Sox at the trade deadline, he posted a 1.13 ERA over 24 regular-season innings for Los Angeles, and then posted a 3.00 across 10 playoff innings.

Phillies Activate Alec Bohm, Outright Brewer Hicklen

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The Phillies activated third baseman Alec Bohm off the 10-day injured list, and optioned infielder Rafael Lantigua to Triple-A in the corresponding move.  In another transaction, the club also outrighted outfielder Brewer Hicklen to Triple-A after Hicklen (who was designated for assignment earlier this week) cleared waivers.

Bohm returns after a minimal stint, as his retroactive IL placement date was September 8.  A left shoulder cyst was the cause of Bohm’s absence, as he had to have the cyst drained and treated in order to correct the discomfort in his non-throwing arm.  The issue wasn’t seen as serious, so taking 10 days to fix the problem now gives Bohm some time to get back to action and get ramped up in advance of the playoffs.

Over 464 plate appearances this season, Bohm has hit .272/.319/.384 with nine home runs, translating to a subpar 94 wRC+.  It has been a up-and-down season for the third baseman, with injuries have been the story of his second half.  Between a fractured rib and his shoulder cyst, Bohm has been limited to just 20 games since the All-Star break, and he has hit only .231/.282/.333 over 85 PA during those 20 games.

The Phillies have clinched the NL East and are likely going to receive a first-round bye, giving the club some extra time to get healthy.  Bohm is now back, though the Phils are still short-handed in the infield with Trea Turner and Edmundo Sosa on the IL.  These absences opened the door for Lantigua to receive his first call to the majors on Tuesday, but he’ll return to Lehigh Valley without an official MLB debut, as Lantigua didn’t receive any playing time during his cup of coffee in the Show.

Lantigua’s selection to the 40-man roster came at Hicklen’s absence, as Hicklen found himself DFA’ed for the third time this season.  All three of those designations came with different teams.  The Brewers DFA’ed Hicklen on Opening Day and then traded him to the Tigers a day later, and Philadelphia then swung a trade in late July after Detroit designated Hicklen again.

Though all of these travels, Hicklen has appeared in exactly one big league game in 2025 — he had two hits as the Tigers’ starting center fielder in an 11-1 win over the Rockies on May 8, as Detroit swept a double-header against Colorado.  These were the first two hits of Hicklen’s brief Major League career, which consists of 10 games with the Royals, Brewers, and Tigers from 2022-25.

Most of Hicklen’s playing time has come in Triple-A ball over these last four seasons, with a solid .240/.346/.464 career slash line in 1731 PA at the top minor league level.  His numbers have taken a dip this year, however, as Hicklen has topped out at a .730 OPS while playing with the Phillies’ and Tigers’ top affiliates.  Unless a late injury changes Philadelphia’s plans, Hicklen will likely finish 2025 in Lehigh Valley.  He hasn’t been previously outrighted in his career and he has much less than three years of MLB service time, so Hicklen wasn’t able to reject the outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Astros Place Yordan Alvarez On Injured List

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The Astros have placed outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, retroactive to September 16th. That open an active roster spot for infielder Isaac Paredes. It was reported earlier that Paredes would be reinstated from the 60-day IL. To open a 40-man spot for Paredes, reliever Kaleb Ort has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

Earlier this week, Alvarez slipped on home plate while coming around to score a run against the Rangers, as seen in this video from MLB.com. After the game, manager Joe Espada said Alvarez would be going for an MRI and Alvarez was seen in a walking boot and on crutches. The next day, Espada described the injury as “pretty significant” and that Alvarez would be “out for a while.”

The Astros didn’t initially place Alvarez on the IL as they waited to evaluate his progress, but now have decided to do so. IL placements can be backdated by three days, so Alvarez can be reinstated in a week.

It’s unclear if the injury will actually allow that to be a real possibility, however, making it a situation to watch going forward. Alvarez has been one of the best hitters alive in recent years. He slumped earlier this year but it was later revealed he had an undiagnosed finger fracture. He spent some time on the IL healing up and seemed to be back to his old self once he returned. He slashed .369/.462/.569 in 78 plate appearances between that previous IL stint and this new one.

Losing that kind of bat is obviously less than ideal for the Astros, especially when they are still playing meaningful games. They are tied with the Mariners for the West division lead and the two clubs begin an incredibly important series against each other tonight. If the Astros lose that series and fall back of the M’s, they would still be in possession of a Wild Card spot, but that would put them at risk of missing the playoffs completely. The Guardians are the top team outside the postseason spots right now and they are only 2.5 games back of Houston.

Even if the Astros hang on and make it to October, they will be hamstrung unless Alvarez can make it back. In the event he can return to the club for the final days of the regular season or in the postseason, it could create a bit of a lineup clog. Paredes is coming back after a lengthy injury absence of his own due to a hamstring strain. He has been taking batting practice lately but hasn’t played any rehab games. He’s serving as the designated hitter tonight but it’s unclear if the Astros have any intention of having him play the field in the coming weeks.

Getting Alvarez back to a state of semi-health where he can hit would be great, though it’s less than perfect if both he and Paredes are in that bucket. That would mean one of them would have to sit or be forced into the field each day. Jose Altuve is also ideally suited for a DH role these days since his glovework isn’t great anywhere, but he’ll have to be out there in the field somewhere if Paredes or Alvarez are in the DH spot going forward.

As for Ort, this transfer definitively ends his season. He landed on the 15-day IL in early September due to right elbow inflammation. It was reported shortly thereafter that he wasn’t likely to return during the regular season. This transfer also wipes out any chance of him appearing in the postseason, even if the Astros make a deep run. He finishes the year with a 4.89 earned run average in 46 innings. He can be retained for four more years after this one but is out of options and may be on the roster bubble this winter, given his mediocre results this year and uncertain health status.

Photo courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images

Orioles Designate Scott Blewett For Assignment

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The Orioles announced Friday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Scott Blewett from the 60-day injured list and, rather than adding him back to the roster, designated him for assignment. Baltimore also recalled righty José Espada from Triple-A Norfolk and placed right-hander Chayce McDermott on the bereavement list. The O’s added that infielder Emmanuel Rivera, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, cleared outright waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

Blewett, 29, was acquired at the start of June. He had been pitching for Atlanta but that club designated him for assignment when they called up Craig Kimbrel and then flipped Blewett to Baltimore for cash.

After that deal, Blewett gave the O’s 16 1/3 innings over 11 appearances, allowing 5.51 earned runs per nine. Right elbow discomfort then put him on the 15-day injured list in the middle of July. He was transferred to the 60-day IL a few weeks ago when the O’s needed 40-man spots to claim Shawn Dubin and reinstate Kyle Bradish from the 60-day IL.

Blewett started a rehab assignment in early September but didn’t look sharp. In 6 1/3 Triple-A innings, he allowed six earned runs via 13 hits and one walk while striking out just three opponents. It seems the O’s didn’t have much interest in putting him back on the roster. Since he is out of options, he has been sent into DFA limbo.

With the trade deadline having passed a long time ago, the Orioles will have to place Blewett on waivers. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would have the right to elect free agency, since he has a previous career outright.

It’s theoretically possible he garners interest based on his previous results. Last year, he gave the Twins 20 1/3 innings with a 1.77 ERA, 21.2% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and 41.4% ground ball rate. Here in 2025, he got out to a good start. Through 24 innings to start the year, he had a 2.25 ERA, 22.8% strikeout rate, 8.9% walk rate and 58.5% grounder rate. However, he allowed five earned runs in his final game with Atlanta, prompting them to move on. The O’s had interest in him at that time but the pairing didn’t work out. If Blewett is claimed, he is out of options but can be controlled for five seasons beyond this one and would be cheap since he hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration.

As for Rivera, he and the O’s avoided arbitration in the offseason by agreeing to a $1MM salary. His service clock is between three and five years. That means he has the right to reject outright assignments but would have to forfeit his remaining salary commitments in order to exercise that right.

Since he is out of options, he has followed a pattern of roster moves this year. The O’s have frequently bumped him off the roster and onto the waiver wire. Each time, he has gone unclaimed and then accepted an outright assignment. Each time, he has been selected back to the roster at a later date, only to repeat the cycle. This is his fourth outright of 2025.

Around the transactions, he has appeared in 43 big league games. In his 127 plate appearance, he has produced a tepid .250/.291/.283 batting line, which has presumably kept him from getting claimed by other clubs. He’s only owed about $50K of his $1MM at this late point in the season but he might as well report to Norfolk for a few more days to collect that. He can then elect free agency at season’s end if not added back to the roster.

Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images

Astros To Activate Isaac Paredes

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The Astros expect to reinstate infielder Isaac Paredes from the injured list prior to tonight’s pivotal series opener against the Mariners, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The 26-year-old slugger has been out since July 19 due to a significant hamstring strain. He’s on the 60-day injured list, so the ’Stros will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster to make Paredes’ return official.

Paredes, 26, came to Houston as part of the offseason Kyle Tucker blockbuster with the Cubs. His pull-heavy, flyball approach has proven a perfect match with Houston’s Daikin Park. Through his first 94 games and 409 plate appearances as an Astro, the righty-swinging Paredes has slashed .259/.359/.470 with 19 homers. However, while Paredes has performed better at home, it’d be unfair to use his strong season to suggest he’s simply a product of the short left-field porch in Houston. Ten of those 19 round-trippers have come at home, where he’s slashed .253/.360/.483, but Paredes has been nearly as good on the road, hitting .266/.359/.457.

There’s some risk in the accelerated return to the lineup. General manager Dana Brown earlier this week said there was only an “outside chance” that Paredes could return this weekend. He’s taken live batting practice but hasn’t played in a single minor league rehab game. However, Yordan Alvarez recently suffered a significant ankle sprain that’s kept him out of the lineup since Sept. 15 and seems to have relegated him to a bench/pinch-hitting role for the time being. Houston hasn’t placed Alvarez on the injured list, but manager Joe Espada said earlier this week that he’ll be “out for a while” after an MRI revealed the sprain.

Given that ill-timed Alvarez injury, it seems the Astros are rolling the dice on another of their best bats being healthy enough to contribute in a series that could determine the outcome of the AL West. The Astros and Mariners are tied with identical 84-69 records heading into this three-game set in Houston. The deadline reacquisition of Carlos Correa — paired with that Alvarez injury — seems to suggest that Paredes will be a DH option for the time being. Scorching-hot Jeremy Pena will hold things down at shortstop, while Correa will handle a hot corner that had previously been manned by Paredes.

While Paredes does have some limited experience at second base, it’s hard to imagine Houston throwing him into a position he hasn’t played all season at a time when his hamstring likely isn’t 100% healthy. And with Christian Walker entrenched at first base, there aren’t many other options for Paredes beyond designated hitter. That’s probably for the best anyhow, given his murky health status. Paredes and the Astros will square off against a formidable trio of Seattle righties this weekend, taking on Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert (in that order).

Braves Select Jhancarlos Lara, Designate Jonathan Ornelas

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The Braves announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Jhancarlos Lara from Triple-A Gwinnett and designated infielder Jonathan Ornelas for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Right-hander Dane Dunning was optioned to Gwinnett to clear a spot on the active roster.

Lara, 22, has posted ugly minor league numbers this year but continues to intrigue scouts due to the quality of his raw stuff. He’s sitting 98.5 mph with his four-seamer in Triple-A and couples the pitch with a slider/cutter that ranges from the upper-80s to low-90s and generates plenty of whiffs. As is so often the case with power arms of this nature, command is an ongoing struggle for the 6’3″, 195-pound Lara.

In 68 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Lara has yielded a gruesome 7.73 earned run average. He’s actually been better at the higher of those two levels, working to a moderately better 6.53 ERA. Lara fanned over one-third of his opponents in Gwinnett but has issued walks at a brutal 19.8% clip at each of this year’s minor league stops.

Despite the poor command, Lara still sits 20th among Braves prospects at Baseball America, 21st at MLB.com and 25th at FanGraphs. Atlanta would’ve had to add him to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft anyhow, so he’ll get an early promotion to the majors and get his first taste of big league opposition. Lara is, obviously, still very much a work in progress, but now that he’s on the 40-man roster, the Braves have at least three years to coax even passable command out of him. He’ll head into the 2026 season with a full slate of three minor league option years available to the major league club.

The 25-year-old Ornelas came to the Braves in a cash swap with the Rangers back in May. He’d been designated for assignment in Texas as well. The righty-swinging utilityman went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles in his only two games with Atlanta. He’s spent the rest of his time since that May trade down in Gwinnett, where he’s slashed .193/.279/.325 in 333 trips to the plate.

Ornelas is just 11-for-53 in a tiny sample of 58 big league plate appearances, leading to an overall .208/.263/.245 batting line in the majors. He posted decent numbers in the lower minors but has struggled each year since being bumped to Triple-A. However, he’s a plus runner who can play quality defense at shortstop, third base and second base — and he’s gotten some reps in center field over the past few seasons as well.

Now that he’s been designated for assignment, Ornelas will head to outright waivers or be released. He’s in his final minor league option year, which will hurt his chances of being picked up by another club, as he’d need to break camp on the big league roster next spring or else be designated for assignment once again.

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