He Miami Marlins They have designated a veteran shortstop Tim Anderson for assignment, the team announced Tuesday. In a corresponding move, the Marlins will call up another infielder Xavier Edwards.
Anderson, 31, signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Marlins during the offseason with the intention of putting together a bounce-back season after a dismal 2023 performance. Unfortunately, he couldn’t live up to those aspirations. Instead, he hit just .214/.237/.226 in 65 games. Anderson struck out in a career-high 28.2% of his plate appearances and had recorded just three extra-base hits in 234 at-bats.
In a fitting coincidence, Anderson made a mistake on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies in what will be his last game with the Marlins:
It’s unclear what’s next for Anderson. He’s a two-time All-Star and former batting champion who still boasts a career 95 OPS+. At the same time, he’s hit for a 51 OPS+ in his most recent 765 plate appearances. If Anderson is going to get another meaningful chance at the major league level, he may first need to repair his situation with an impressive showing in Triple-A.
As for the Marlins, they entered Tuesday with a 30-54 record on the season. Their internal options at shortstop now include Edwards and Vidal Brujan (the only players other than Anderson who have excelled at sixth so far this season). Edwards, in 33 career major league games, has hit .287/.333/.333 (80 OPS+).
The Marlins are expected to sell a lot of players before the July 30 trade deadline, so Anderson likely won’t be the last notable name to leave Miami in the coming weeks.