The Orioles have designated infielder Dilson Herrera for assignment, the team announced. The O’s reinstated first baseman Chris Davis from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.
The 26-year-old Herrera, whom the Orioles signed to a minor league contract last winter, joined their big league roster exactly a week ago. Herrera wound up going hitless with four strikeouts in six plate appearances. The former Met and Red now owns a .199/.290/.386 line with 11 home runs in 272 PA as a big leaguer.
Davis, meanwhile, will get yet another chance to try to put his career back on track in Baltimore. The former star slugger, 34, was a solid part of the O’s roster as recently as 2016, but his output has gone in the tank since then. Davis began this year with a .152/.173/.184 slash and no homers in 52 trips to the plate before landing on the shelf with a left knee injury. He’s in the fifth season of a seven-year, $161MM contract.
It’s worth mentioning that Herrera had A TON of home runs in AAA last year; he might’ve lead the league in home runs. Hopefully someone will take a flier on him.
Nevermind, he didn’t, but I could’ve sworn that he lead the AAA in HRs at one point last year?
After the first game of the season maybe
I think he has a decent spring training this year, albeit abbreviated.
And according to some O’s, maybe Dean Kremer, Dilson was one of the toughest outs in camp at Bowie
He looked like an A level prospect when he came up with the Mets, who never let him play a long enough stretch to claim a regular job.
They brought him up too early and then gave up on him. I think injuries had a lot to do with it but he was never really a prime prospect.
Heard this Chris Davis guy has some serious power. Hopefully he pans out.
Yeah. Good thing he won’t hit the market for a few more years. What a steal for the O’s!
I’m not sure it’s accurate to state (as the article does) that Davis “will get yet another chance to try to put his career back on track in Baltimore.” Hyde has done a good job of being direct in stating that he’ll pick his spots for Davis moving forward. Unless some radically greater production occurs, Davis is going to be relegated to a reserve role moving forward.
imagine getting DFA’d for chris davis
Reminds me of when Cindy Garvey dumped Daddy Steve for Marvin Hamlisch.
Which reinforces the conclusion that saving money is more important than winning.
Oh, Whiff, the artist formerly known as Crush, Davis. I’d love nothing more than to see this guy go on a tear before he’s inevitably cut loose. But “as recently as 2016” is poor Whiff’s sole tether to something resembling a useful player.
The only rational basis for keeping Chris Davis is hoping at some point pride causes him to retire, right?
Money over pride. O’s should just DFA him like Boston did in the recent past, first with Panda and then Hanley.
Is his contract worse than Ryan Howard’s?
A good comparison.
Ha, something tells me that will not happen. Good thing the O’s didn’t DFA him last season.. I think they would have ended up paying him his full salary, instead of the pro-rated salary.
That -3 OPS+ not doing it for ya?
Another infielder for Chaim Bloom to look at.
Hasn’t the time LONG passed for the Os to just eat the money and release Davis? It’s bad enough they have to pay him, but it would seem like a .152/.173/.184 slash is rubbing salt in a very open wound…
Cutting him means still having to pay him his money, but having no chance of him contributing. He’s not exactly taking at bats away from up-and-comers and he’s not what’s keeping them from winning. Better to keep putting him out there and hope he regains some sort of trade value.
I dunno… Going on four years and counting… Seems like they could find some way to make use of the roster spot and at-bats…
You obviously don’t pay attention to the Orioles and the young bats that are here and coming. Yes he is blocking and taking bats from the future!
Hope he regains value? For what purpose? He could be twice as good as he is now and still not belong at AAA. Gotta live in reality. He’s done as done has ever been.
Could’ve put Herrera at first base. I’m not a huge Dilson fan but he’s worth more of a look than Davis who is in no one’s future plans no matter what he does at this point.
Humpcap dude, Davis’ BA is .122, not .152. Quit exaggerating…
I think it’s time for the O’s to give up on Davis (actually I think the time was probably 3 years ago) but at this point it’s really just pathetic. I mean you almost have to try to be as bad as he’s been the last couple seasons. I know they still owe him some serious $ — but at this point there’s really no reason whatsoever to be keeping him around. Nothing against the guy — he seems like a nice person — but he’s just an atrocious baseball player at this point.
Hey Jeff — 100% agree with everything you have said. The thing I can’t understand about CD is his apparent lack of personal pride. He already holds 2 MLB ignominious records which will probably never be broken ( of course — most plate appearances without a hit and most at-bats without a hit). So now he is line to have the worst contract in MLB history — is that how someone would want to be remembered? He should do the ‘man’ thing and walk away from the contract. That would go a long way to restoring his image. (It can’t be the money — he certainly has enough of that). Come on CD — give some of these minor leaguers a chance to do what you can’t do anymore.
Of course it’s the money. Would you really have walked away from a hundred million dollars to play a game you love? Even if there’s nothing he wants to buy for himself, I’m sure he can think of charities he’d like to donate that money to.
The team would love to humiliate Davis into retirement to save a fortune, but the ‘man’ thing is really to keep on trying until they won’t let you.
Poor Dilson Herrera. Imagine being told that you were just DFA’d for a position player who’s been out hit by 4 different pitchers in the past three years (those 4 being Michael Lorenzen, Zack Greinke, Brandon Woodruff and Steven Brault).
to be fair, Lorenzen outhit a lot of position players in 2018
Just 2 years left on that contract after 2020, so the end is actually in sight. Lest we forget BAL will be making annual deferred payments to the King of All Bums through 2037. Understandable if you puke on your phone (again) after that reminder.
O’s need to cut him and buy him out. The Rockies did that with Shaw and McGee and it helped them. 4=lousy years in a row does not trend well.
I’d need to eat the rest of Chris Davis’ contract. It’s time
It’s well past time, but yea
Why?
I’ believe that part of this is the lack of actual first basemen on the roster (Pat Valaika?). I also think that part of this is that if a player is medically cleared but not activated, the union could file a grievance against the team. Obviously there is no minor league rehab assignment this season. So he’s back and Herrera wasn’t getting any at bats anyway. Hopefully he clears waivers and stays in the organization.
Mountcastle is a 1B, is he not?
So is Renato Nunez. And chance sisco’s been fielding groundballs there.
That’s at least 3 options besides Mountcastle and Davis.
They’re only 1st basemen because they’re subpar defenders. One thing davis can still do is field
I don’t disagree with you but you definitely don’t carry a 1B who can’t hit at all because he can make a couple scoops another guy can’t.
Davis has had negative RDRS/YR at 1B in 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017. Davis can still field 1B —> myth.
So he’s the worst hitter in baseball but that’s ok cuz he’s somewhat of a decent fielder at the least important defensive position? Who cares?
No games at 1B with the Orioles in 2020 thus far…In minors, played 1B only one year 2019, 84 games at Norfolk. Little research would do you well DS829
Herrera has played a fair bit of first base in the minors. Just saying.
Davis represents a sunk cost and this organization is so anal they don’t know what that means. The reality is there is no greater fool interested in Davis. If he had any self respect he would retire.
Yeah, like you would give up a ton of money out of “self respect”.
Herrera can be an option for DET, PIT, etc. Essentially a rebuilding team with room at 2B. I imagine he will be claimed in short order.
Time to cut and run on Davis.
How is a .169 .252 .300 slash line over the last three years and about 926 plate appearances better than Dilson Herrera?
Ugh.. that slash line is so ugly. I feel bad that people have to pay to watch him play baseball.
If Trey Mancini is back and healthy for next season he will be at 1st and Davis will be gone!
And I guarantee they’ll be at least one fan who’ll want their team to pick Davis up cuz “he used to be good, he’s the kinda veteran you hope can rekindle some old glory” blech