The Orioles announced Tuesday that they’ve designated infielder Luis Vazquez for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to newly signed outfielder Ramon Laureano, whose previously reported one-year deal is now official.
Vazquez’s stay on Baltimore’s 40-man roster will last less than a week. Baltimore picked him up from the Cubs, who’d also designated him for assignment, in a cash swap just last week. Emmanuel Rivera, who was designated to clear roster space for Vazquez, hasn’t even seen his own DFA resolved before Vazquez’s spot has been similarly vacated.
A 25-year-old shortstop who made his big league debut with the Cubs this past season, Vazquez has only 14 big league plate appearances and one hit under his belt. However, he slashed .263/.347/.432 in Triple-A last season, marking his second straight year with better-than-average production at the top minor league level. While he’d struggled in a smaller sample over parts of two prior Triple-A campaigns, Vazquez has popped 17 homers, walked at an 11.6% clip and fanned in a roughly average 22.5% of his plate appearances through 543 appearances there in the past two seasons.
Vazquez has long been regarded as a smooth defender at shortstop, one who’s capable of playing second base or third base as well. The recent bump in production in Triple-A has elevated his stock a bit, but not to the extent that either the Cubs or the Orioles are committed to carrying him on the 40-man roster to begin the season. Baseball America labeled him Chicago’s No. 16 prospect just last year. He profiles as a solid defensive utilityman at the very least, and his recent strides at the plate in Triple-A — coupled with a pair of remaining minor league option years — could garner a look from another club via a small trade or a waiver claim.
The Orioles will have five days to trade Vazquez. At that point, they’d need to place him on outright waivers, as waivers are a 48-hour process and there’s a one-week limit within which they have to resolve his DFA. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, Vazquez will head to Triple-A as non-roster depth and presumably be invited to big league camp when spring training opens later this month.