Royals' Andrew Velazquez: Sent outright to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Royals outrighted Velazquez to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
Velazquez had been booted from the 40-man roster after going 1-for-15 at the dish for the Royals. He has the ability to elect free agency, but if Velazquez sticks around, he will give Kansas City some experienced infield depth at Omaha.
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Royals' Andrew Velazquez: Scrubbed from 40-man roster
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The Royals designated Velazquez for assignment Tuesday.
With Bobby Witt (back) returning from the injured list, there was no longer a roster spot available for Velazquez. The veteran utility player went 1-for-15 at the plate during his time with the big club.
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Royals' Andrew Velazquez: Losing out on playing time
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Velazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.
Velazquez started in four of the Royals' ensuing five games following his call-up from Triple-A Omaha on July 22, but he's since seen his playing time fall by the wayside. He'll hit the bench Sunday for the fifth time in six games and could be in danger of being pushed off the roster when the Royals likely reinstate Bobby Witt (back) from the injured list Tuesday.
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Royals' Andrew Velazquez: Gaining traction in middle infield
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Velazquez will start at second base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Tigers.
Since he was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday after Bobby Witt (back) was placed on the injured list, Velazquez has started four of the Royals' ensuing five games. He'll be filling in Sunday at the keystone for Michael Massey, but Velazquez could end up being the preferred option at shortstop over Tyler Tolbert while Witt is on the mend. Velazquez has gone 1-for-9 with a stolen base through his first three contests with Kansas City.
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Diamondbacks' Andrew Velazquez: Joins Diamondbacks
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Velazquez signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday.
Velazquez hasn't appeared in a professional game since the regular season began, but he'll get a chance with the Diamondbacks. He should serve as organizational infield depth at Triple-A Reno.
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Rangers' Andrew Velazquez: Gets MiLB deal from Rangers
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The Rangers signed Velazquez to a minor-league contract Dec. 8.
Velazquez spent all of this past season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees organization, slashing .242/.304/.345 with five homers and 25 steals. A career .189/.244/.293 hitter over parts of six big-league seasons, Velazquez will give the Rangers some experienced infield depth at Triple-A Round Rock.
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Yankees' Andrew Velazquez: Signs MiLB deal with Yanks
Rotowire
The Yankees signed Velazquez to a minor-league contract Thursday.
New York just released Velazquez from his minors deal earlier this month, but he's returning to the organization and will rejoin Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He slashed .244/.315/.342 with four home runs, 32 RBI, 42 runs scored, 23 stolen bases and a 27:74 BB:K across 311 plate appearances with the affiliate prior to his release.
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Yankees' Andrew Velazquez: Sent to minors
Rotowire
The Yankees reassigned Velazquez to minor-league camp Saturday.
Velazquez didn't see MLB action in 2024, but he stuck around in big-league camp longer than anticipated and logged 44 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League as he competed for a reserve gig. Ultimately, the Yankees elected to carry fellow non-roster invitee Pablo Reyes on the Opening Day roster as a utility player. Velazquez is expected to report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will likely spend the bulk of the season in the International League.
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Braves' Andrew Velazquez: Sent to minor-league camp
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Atlanta reassigned Velazquez to minor-league camp Monday.
He was sent to minor-league camp Monday along with Luke Williams, Eli White and David Fletcher, with their demotions suggesting that Forrest Wall has won the final available bench spot on Atlanta's Opening Day roster. Velazquez slashed .207/.324/.379 with two stolen bases over 15 games during Grapefruit League play.
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Braves' Andrew Velazquez: Back with Atlanta
Rotowire
Velazquez signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Friday.
Velazquez was claimed by Atlanta in early September after beginning the 2023 campaign in the Angels organization. He hit .217 with four runs, four RBI and a steal over 14 games at Triple-A Gwinnett but elected free agency in early November. However, after testing free agency for a few weeks, he'll rejoin Atlanta and could compete for a reserve spot on the team's Opening Day roster this spring.
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Andrew Velazquez: Becomes free agent
Rotowire
Velazquez elected to become a free agent Friday.
Velazquez heads to the open market after being pushed off Atlanta's 40-man roster earlier this week. The 29-year-old infielder owns a weak .189/.244/.293 career major-league batting line and will likely have to settle for a minor-league contract leading into the 2024 season.
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Braves' Andrew Velazquez: Sent outright to Triple-A
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Atlanta outrighted Velazquez to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.
Velazquez was claimed off waivers from the Angels in early September but was immediately sent to Triple-A Gwinnett and finished out the season there. The 29-year-old journeyman shortstop is a career .189/.244/.293 hitter in 275 games (624 plate appearances) at the major-league level.
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Braves' Andrew Velazquez: Claimed by Atlanta
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Atlanta claimed Velazquez off waivers from the Angels on Tuesday and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Velazquez has typically performed well in the upper minors and plays excellent defense at shortstop, but the 29-year-old owns a career .189/.244/.293 batting line in 275 games (624 plate appearances) at the big-league level. He'll function as organizational infield depth down the stretch for the NL East leaders.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Heads back to Triple-A
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The Angels optioned Velazquez to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.
Velazquez will head back to the minors after the Angels reinstated Matt Thaiss (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. With the Angels summoning fellow infielders Kyren Paris and Michael Stefanic from the minors Friday as their two September call-ups, the team didn't have much of a need to keep Velazquez on hand as a utility man.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Homers as pinch hitter
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Velazquez hit a solo home run in his only at-bat in a loss to the Astros on Saturday.
Velazquez batted for Brandon Drury with the game out of hand in the ninth inning and belted his second homer of the year, a solo shot off Hector Neris. The speedster has seen very limited playing time of late -- this was his first plate appearance since July 30 and his first hit since he went 3-for-4 against Detroit on July 25.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Swats first homer
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Velazquez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Sunday in a 7-5 victory versus the Pirates.
Velazquez hadn't started a game since before the All-Star break coming into the weekend, but he found his name in the starting lineup for the second straight day Sunday as a result of Zach Neto's back injury. Velazquez made the most of the opportunity, slugging his first homer of the season in the fifth inning. The speedy infielder is still slashing just .200/.308/.289 on the campaign, and with Neto possibly returning to action Tuesday, Velazquez will likely return to a bench role soon.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Relegated to bench role
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Velazquez hasn't started a game since prior to the All-Star break, though he's gotten into seven second-half contests as a pinch runner and/or defensive replacement.
Velazquez was starting at shortstop fairly frequently in the week leading up to the break, but that opportunity dried up when Zach Neto returned from the injured list. Velazquez has subsequently served exclusively in a reserve role, primarily as a pinch runner. Though he's seen action in seven games since the start of the second half, he's logged only three plate appearances, going 0-for-2 with a walk. The Angels have been taking advantage of his speed, however, as Velazquez has tallied three stolen bases in three attempts during the seven-game span. Given his career .192/.247/.290 slash line, it's not a surprise that Velazquez hasn't been able to nail down a starting role.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Brought up from minors
Rotowire
The Angels recalled Velazquez from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.
He'll be joining the Halos as a replacement in the infield for Brandon Drury (shoulder), who was placed on the 10-day injured list. Velazquez started seven games with the Angels earlier this season and was a regular in the middle infield in 2022, but he may be ticketed for a utility role during his upcoming stint in the big leagues. Eduardo Escobar, Luis Rengifo and David Fletcher all look to be ahead of Velazquez in the pecking order for playing time at second base and shortstop while Drury and Zach Neto (shoulder) are on the IL.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Nabs another steal
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Velazquez entered as a pinch runner in Tuesday's win over the White Sox, logging a stolen base and scoring a run.
Velazquez hasn't gotten a start since Saturday, but he's still making an impact, swiping a bag as a pinch runner twice in the past three days. The shortstop has demonstrated excellent acumen on the basepaths over the past two seasons, collecting 23 thefts on 25 attempts in 135 games. However, he's batting just .198 during that span, which has prevented him from holding onto an everyday role.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Steals base as pinch runner
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Velazquez notched a stolen base in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Rockies.
Velazquez ran for David Fletcher and swiped a bag in the eighth inning. With Zach Neto (oblique) on the injured list, Velazquez had a chance to pick up regular playing time at shortstop, but it hasn't come to pass, as Fletcher has started the last two games there. Velazquez remains a solid speed threat with five steals this season, but he's batting just .227 (5-for-22) across nine contests, so he'll have to get his bat going to solidify his place in the lineup.
