The Cleveland Guardians have designated DH/outfielder Franmil Reyes for assignment, reports Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Though his 2022 numbers have fallen well below his career marks, the move still comes as something of a surprise given Reyes’ age and his prodigious raw power. He had been optioned to Triple-A Columbus earlier this week.
Since debuting with the San Diego Padres in 2018, Reyes has been one of the more consistent home run threats in the game despite playing his home games at San Diego’s Petco Park and Progressive Field, going deep in 5.6 percent of his career plate appearances. That number has fallen to 3.2 percent in 2022, however, while his strikeout rate has ballooned to 37.1 percent (against a career 30.7 percent mark) and his walk rate has fallen to 5 percent (8.4 percent career).
These trends translated into a meager .213/.254/.350 triple-slash, a far cry from his career .253/.314/.478 batting line — particularly in the power department. The Guardians, who entered play on Saturday two games behind the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central and a game behind the Rays for the final wild card spot, will likely continue to rotate Josh Naylor and Owen Miller between first base and Reyes’ erstwhile DH spot.
Given his power potential — and the passing of the trade deadline — there could be some interest in Reyes from contending teams, perhaps even before he’s cleared waivers. Any team claiming the slugger would owe him a prorated portion of his $4.55M 2022 salary, while he’d be owed only a prorated portion of the minimum salary thereafter. Reyes actually has two years of team control remaining, though he’ll be in line for at least a modest raise should a team choose to tender him a contract.
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