The Marlins have designated infielder Jose Devers for assignment, tweets Issac Azout of Fish on First. Miami also optioned infielder David Hensley to Triple-A Jacksonville. That pair of moves will create space for the return of outfielder Derek Hill and infielder/outfielder Vidal Brujan, both of whom have been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
It’s the second DFA in the career of Devers, who came to Miami alongside Starlin Castro and Jorge Guzman in the Giancarlo Stanton blockbuster with the Yankees. Devers was also designated for assignment back in 2022 but remained with the organization after going unclaimed on outright waivers. This time around, if he clears, he’ll have the opportunity to elect minor league free agency (as is the right of all players who have previously been outrighted at least once in their career).
Devers, 24, has only received 50 plate appearances in the majors — 46 back in 2021 and just four this season. He’s posted a .244/.300/.311 slash in that tiny sample. It’s tough to glean much information from such minimal playing time, but then again, Devers has hardly forced his way into the big league picture with his minor league play.
To the contrary, Devers has struggled considerably at the plate both in Double-A and Triple-A. He was never projected to hit for power even as a young prospect, instead drawing praise for his speed, glove and bat-to-ball skills. He’s indeed proven tough to strike out, fanning in about 16% of his plate appearances both in Double-A and Triple-A, but he’s also been unable to hit the ball with any sort of authority. Devers is a career .251/.319/.380 hitter in 673 Double-A plate appearances and just a .238/.296/.352 hitter in 249 Triple-A turns at the plate. Despite often being credited with plus speed, he’s never been much of a baserunning threat.
Injuries have played a role in Devers’ struggles. He hit the injured list with a right shoulder impingement early in 2021, not long after making his debut, and eventually underwent surgery to repair the labrum in that shoulder. Recovery from that August surgery unsurprisingly lingered into the 2022 season and limited him to just 60 games overall. Devers appeared in just 96 games in ’23 thanks to further trips to the injured list. He’s posted a tepid .239/.304/.362 batting line in 54 games and 208 Triple-A plate appearances this season.