Saunders announced his retirement Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.
Saunders hadn't played a game in the big leagues since 2017 and didn't play a game of any kind in 2019 after getting released by the Rockies in March. The 32-year-old will end his career having played in parts of nine seasons in the majors, hitting .232/.305/.397 with 81 homers.
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Michael Saunders: Let go by Colorado
Rotowire
Saunders was released by the Rockies on Sunday, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.
Saunders joined the Rockies on a minor-league deal in December and had a .741 OPS over 28 plate appearances this spring. The 32-year-old has a career .232/.305/.397 slash line but did not see the majors in 2018.
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Rockies' Michael Saunders: Joins Colorado on MiLB contract
Rotowire
Saunders signed a minor-league deal with Colorado on Sunday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
Saunders hit the open market in June after being cut by the White Sox, so he'll aim for a better outcome with his new team. He appeared in 38 games across stops at Triple-A Norfolk and Charlotte, slashing .158/.272/.248 with two homers and 18 RBI over that span.
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Michael Saunders: Cut loose by White Sox
Rotowire
Saunders was released by the White Sox on Thursday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Saunders was signed to a minor-league deal exactly one month ago, but failed to impress during his brief stay with Triple-A Charlotte. Across 13 games, he went just 7-for-46 (.152 average) and has only played in one contest since June 6. The 31-year-old outfielder will attempt to find a new home but remains unlikely to make much of an impact at the major-league level in 2018 even if another organization gives him a shot.
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White Sox's Michael Saunders: Joins White Sox organization
Rotowire
Saunders signed with the White Sox on a minor-league deal and will report to Triple-A Charlotte.
Saunders has failed to stick with three teams already this season, having been released by the Pirates and Royals in spring training and the Orioles in mid-May. He's found another organization lacking in outfield talent at the big-league level, but he hit just .161 in 25 games for Triple-A Norfolk after hitting .202 at the major-league level last season, so the odds of him making an impact this season appear to be low.
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Michael Saunders: Cut loose by Orioles
Rotowire
Saunders was released by the Orioles on Tuesday, Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com reports.
Saunders will look for major-league opportunities elsewhere after opting out of his minor-league deal with the Orioles. The 31-year-old was hitting just .161/.291/.253 across 25 games with Triple-A Norfolk. Given his struggles over the past two seasons, Saunders likely won't serve as anything more than organizational outfield depth wherever he winds up.
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Orioles' Michael Saunders: Signs minor-league deal with O's
Rotowire
Saunders signed a minor-league deal with the Orioles on Monday, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Saunders failed to make both the Pirates and the Royals this spring. He'll hope to impress the Orioles enough at Triple-A Norfolk to earn a major-league call-up. The 31-year-old will need to perform far better than he did last year in order to stick around in the big leagues; he hit just .202/.256/.344 in 73 games with Philadelphia and Toronto.
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Michael Saunders: Released by Kansas City
Rotowire
Saunders was released by the Royals on Saturday.
Saunders failed to make the Opening Day roster and rejected an assignment to Triple-A Omaha. He will look to find a new home after appearing in 73 major-league games split between Toronto and Philadelphia last season in which he slashed .202/.256/.344 with six home runs and 21 RBI.
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Royals' Michael Saunders: Signs with Royals
Rotowire
Saunders agreed to terms with the Royals on a minor-league contract Friday.
Saunders had signed with the Pirates just two days prior, but was released earlier on Friday, possibly as a result of the Pirates' acquisition of Corey Dickerson. The veteran outfielder joins one of the weakest rosters in the league, so he has a path to playing time, though he'll have to perform considerably better than he did last season when he hit .202/.256/.344 in 73 games with Philadelphia and Toronto.
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Pirates' Michael Saunders: Comes to terms with Pirates
Rotowire
Saunders agreed to a minor-league contract with Pittsburgh on Wednesday which includes an invite to spring training.
Last season, Saunders wasn't able to repeat his All-Star form from 2016, slashing just .202/.256/.344 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 73 games. He began the year with Philadelphia, but returned to Toronto after being released by the Phillies in late June. He will be given an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but the Pirates' starting outfield is pretty well set, with Jordan Luplow heading into camp as the fourth outfielder and top prospect Austin Meadows waiting for his chance at the Triple-A level.
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Blue Jays' Michael Saunders: Leaves team for birth of child
Rotowire
Saunders has left the Blue Jays to witness the birth of his child, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
It's unclear how much time Saunders will miss while away from the team, but it shouldn't be more than a few games. The 30-year-old outfielder has primarily seen time as a pinch hitter since joining the Blue Jays after rosters expanded, going 3-for-6 with with two walks and two strikeouts. He'll continue to occupy a bench role when he returns.
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Blue Jays' Michael Saunders: Joining big-league club
Rotowire
The Blue Jays will call up Saunders from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.
The well-traveled outfielder wraps up his Bisons campaign at .275/.322/.408 with two home runs in 152 plate appearances, following a .205/.257/.360 stretch with six bombs in 214 plate appearances for the Phillies. Saunders will serve a depth role for the Jays, making him potentially useful in AL-only formats.
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Blue Jays' Michael Saunders: Inks minors deal with Toronto
Rotowire
Saunders signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Wednesday, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.
Toronto struggled to find consistent production from the left field spot between Ezequiel Carrera and Steve Pearce this season, so the organization could end up turning to a former Blue Jay to see if he can offer a boost at the position. Saunders was let go by the Phillies earlier this month after slashing .205/.257/.360 in 214 plate appearances, but he's just one season removed from a 24-homer, 32-double campaign that netted him an All-Star nod with Toronto. He'll first report to Triple-A Buffalo to begin his second tour with the organization, but if he's able to find some success at the plate early on, a promotion to the big club could come quickly.
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Michael Saunders: Released Friday
Rotowire
The Phillies released Saunders on Friday.
Saunders and his $9 million contract unsurprisingly passed through waivers unclaimed, so the Phillies have given him his release. He is now eligible to sign with any team for the minimum.
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Phillies' Michael Saunders: DFA'd Tuesday
Rotowire
Saunders was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
After being named an All-Star last season, Saunders struggled through the first half of 2017 before being cast off the Phillies' 40-man roster. The 30-year-old managed a weak .205/.257/.360 slash line with six homers and 51 strikeouts in 200 at-bats this season (61 games). Given his $9 million contract, he'll likely pass through waivers unclaimed, become a free agent and sign elsewhere for cheap.
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Phillies' Michael Saunders: First multi-hit game since May 28
Rotowire
Saunders went 2-for-4 with a double in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Saunders got the start in right field after sitting on the bench the prior three games. He snapped an 0-for-19 skid Saturday while also putting together his first multi-hit game since May 28. The veteran outfielder will need to continue to capitalize on his opportunities to try to earn back some of the playing time he has lost to Daniel Nava.
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Phillies' Michael Saunders: Hits bench versus lefty Wednesday
Rotowire
Saunders is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Red Sox.
As expected, Saunders will hit the bench with left-hander Brian Johnson pitching for Boston for the first game in Philly. The Phillies outfield will consist of Daniel Nava, Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr for the evening, and there's a good chance they could also keep Saunders on the bench for another day with Chris Sale tabbed to start for the Red Sox on Thursday.
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Phillies' Michael Saunders: Unlikely to start next three games
Rotowire
Manager Pete Mackanin said Saunders will likely be on the bench with the Red Sox set to send left-handed starters to the mound in each of the next three games, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.
Saunders has just one hit in the month of June and is hitting just .203/.250/.359 in 192 at-bats this season. There is playing time to be had in the outfield with Howie Kendrick starting at second base in place of the injured Cesar Hernandez (oblique), but Saunders' struggles have opened the door for Daniel Nava to get more playing time.
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Phillies' Michael Saunders: Batting fifth Sunday
Rotowire
Saunders will start in right field and bat fifth Sunday against the Cardinals, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.
Saunders' fantasy value looked to be trending downward after he began to lose out on at-bats following the recent activation of Howie Kendrick, but it appears he could soon settle back into a near-everyday role. With second baseman Cesar Hernandez (oblique) landing on the disabled list, Kendrick will shift over to the keystone in Sunday's game and could end up settling in at the position for the duration of Hernandez's absence. If that's the case, It would likely open up a regular spot for Saunders in the outfield, giving the Phillies another power threat in the middle of the lineup.
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Phillies' Michael Saunders: Stuck in bench role
Rotowire
Manager Pete Mackanin indicated that Odubel Herrera, Howie Kendrick and Aaron Altherr are going to stay in the lineup if they keep hitting, which leaves Saunders in a reserve role, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "At this point, I've got to play those guys," Mackanin said. "It'll all even out. At some point, they will get a rest. If they keep swinging the bat, we're going to keep it going."
The Phillies signed Saunders for $9 million prior to this season with the hopes of trading him before the July 31 deadline. That looks unlikely to happen at this point given his meager production. The team is likely to deal Kendrick at some point, but that figures to open up playing time for one of their outfield prospects to come up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. It is hard to see Saunders working his way back into a regular role, barring injury or a significant slump from one of the other outfielders on the roster.
