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Pirates' Gift Ngoepe: Signs with Pirates
Ngoepe signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Saturday.
The 29-year-old middle infielder hit just .221 in 41 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley with the Phillies before he was cut loose. He will report to Double-A Altoona.
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Phillies' Gift Ngoepe: Heading to minor-league camp
Ngoepe will head to minor-league camp Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Unsurprisingly, Ngoepe wasn't able to crack the Opening Day roster. With a .181/.272/.236 line in 82 big-league plate appearances, there's no guarantee the Phillies will look to him when injuries strike their infield.
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Phillies' Gift Ngoepe: Arrives at spring training
Ngoepe arrived at Phillies camp Saturday morning, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Ngoepe's start to the spring was delayed by visa issues, but those have apparently been cleared up, and he is ready to make a push for a spot on the Phillies' Opening Day roster.
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Phillies' Gift Ngoepe: Dealing with visa issues
Ngoepe has yet to arrive at Phillies camp while he waits to secure a travel visa, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.
Ngoepe was already facing an uphill battle to win an Opening Day bench role with the Phillies by virtue of being a non-roster invitee, and the missed time to begin camp won't help his case. He'll likely be withheld from the Phillies' first handful of Grapefruit League contests until his visa issues are resolved.
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Phillies' Gift Ngoepe: Signs minors deal with Phillies
Ngoepe signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Ngoepe made it further than any African-born player ever had when he made his big-league debut for the Pirates in 2017, though he hasn't done much in his limited major-league opportunities. In a short stint for Pittsburgh that season and an even shorter one in Toronto last year, the infielder has hit just .181/.272/.236 in 82 plate appearances. He'll fill an organizational depth role in Philadelphia this season and is unlikely to receive more than a handful of at-bats.
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Gift Ngoepe: Signs in Australia
Ngoepe signed a contract with the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.
Ngoepe was released by the Blue Jays earlier in the month after hitting just .168/.304/.252 across 48 games with Triple-A Buffalo. The Blue Sox's season starts in November and wraps up in February, so he could latch on with a major-league team before spring training next season.
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Blue Jays' Gift Ngoepe: Clears waivers and heads to minors
Ngoepe cleared waivers Monday and was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo.
Ngoepe was available for any team to claim, but a 28-year-old utility infielder with a career .181/.272/.236 line doesn't make for a particularly appealing player. He'll head back to the minors and could be back up as needed throughout the season, though he shouldn't be expected to have much fantasy relevance if and when he does return.
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Blue Jays' Gift Ngoepe: DFA'd by Toronto
Ngoepe was designated for assignment Thursday Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Just hours after being optioned down to Triple-A, Ngoepe is now without a spot on the 40-man roster after the Blue Jays made a flurry of moves between games in Thursday's doubleheader. Reliever Luis Santos had his contract selected and he will take Ngoepe's spot. Ngoepe had seen inconsistent playing time in the weeks leading up to his demotion and he had just one hit in 18 at-bats. He'll now be subject to waivers, but could return to the Blue Jays' organization if he goes unclaimed.
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Blue Jays' Gift Ngoepe: Optioned to Buffalo
Ngoepe was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday.
Ngoepe only appeared in one game since re-joining the big-league team at the beginning of this week, but didn't record an at-bat, instead serving as a pinch-runner and scoring one run against the Twins on Tuesday. He will continue to receive everyday at-bats at the Triple-A level instead of being utilized as a reserve for the Blue Jays.
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Blue Jays' Gift Ngoepe: Back with Blue Jays
Ngoepe is back in the big leagues, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.
Ngoepe was called up to replace the injured Randal Grichuk (knee). He spent the start of the season on the Blue Jays' bench but went just 1-for-18 with 12 strikeouts before being sent to Triple-A Buffalo in mid-April. Nothing in his profile suggests that he'll be much of a fantasy asset this time around, either.
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Blue Jays' Gift Ngoepe: Optioned to Triple-A Buffalo
Ngoepe was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday.
Ngoepe appeared in 12 games for Toronto over the first few weeks of the season but wasn't able to make an impact at the plate, going just 1-for-18 (.056 average) with one walk and 12 strikeouts. The infielder will head back to the minor leagues to get everyday at-bats while Lourdes Gurriel takes his place on the Blue Jays' active roster.
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Blue Jays' Gift Ngoepe: Makes club as reserve infielder
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Tuesday that Ngoepe secured a spot on the team's Opening Day roster, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The Blue Jays haven't announced as much, but Ngoepe's inclusion on the team likely means that Danny Espinosa will be reassigned to minor-league camp, if not released. Ngoepe, who debuted last season with the Pirates and appeared in 28 games, is regarded as a glove-first utility man, so he wouldn't attract much interest in the fantasy realm if he ends up falling into semi-regular at-bats at any point.
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Blue Jays' Gift Ngoepe: Outside shot at bench role
Ngoepe could break camp with the Blue Jays as a reserve infielder if Troy Tulowitzki (heel) is unable to go by Opening Day, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The Blue Jays are expected to carry Aledmys Diaz and Yangervis Solarte as reserve infielders to open the season, but the team may need some additional infield depth if Tulowitzki's heel isn't fully recovered by Opening Day. If Tulowitzki were to open the year on the shelf, Ngoepe, who hit .222/.323/.296 in 28 games during his major-league debut last season, and prospect Richard Urena would be candidates to fill Toronto's final bench spot. Either way, barring any other injuries to the Blue Jays' infield (or a Josh Donaldson trade), the big-league stint would likely be short-lived, and thus uninteresting from a fantasy perspective.
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Blue Jays' Gift Ngoepe: Traded to Blue Jays
Ngoepe was traded to the Blue Jays on Monday in exchange for cash or a player to be named later.
The 27-year-old infielder made his big-league debut last season, hitting .222 with zero home runs and a 41.3 percent strikeout rate in 63 plate appearances. The Pirates get to clear a spot on the 40-man roster while the Blue Jays get some infield depth. It would not be surprising if the Blue Jays tried to designate Ngoepe for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot later this offseason.
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Pirates' Gift Ngoepe: Lands on minor-league DL
Ngoepe was placed on the 7-day minor-league disabled list Thursday with a left hamstring strain.
It's unclear how long the injury will keep Ngoepe sidelined at this point, but he'll be eligible to return June 30 if he is ready. The 27-year-old has struggled since returning to Triple-A Indianapolis from the Pirates at the beginning of June; he's slashing .193/.281/.333 in 16 games (64 plate appearances).
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Pirates' Gift Ngoepe: Shipped to minors
Ngoepe was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Ngoepe was slashing just .222/.323/.296 across 54 at-bats (27 games) with the big club before being sent back to Indianapolis. He could see another opportunity with the Pirates later in the season should the team need an extra bench bat. A corresponding move should be announced before Friday's series opener against the Mets.
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Pirates' Gift Ngoepe: Looking for answers at plate
Ngoepe went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts Tuesday against the Dodgers.
He has 14 strikeouts in 34 plate appearances and has seen his slash line drop to .250/.382/.357. Ngoepe's calling card is his strong defense, but the lifetime .232 hitter in the minors is struggling at the plate.
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 5-8, 200 lbs |
| Birthplace: Pietersburg, South Africa |
| Age: 34 |
| Experience: 2 |
| Bats/Throws: R, R |