Austin signed a one-year contract with the Yokohama DeNA Baystars on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Austin split time with Minnesota, Milwaukee and San Francisco during the 2019 campaign, struggling to a .188 average with nine homers and 24 RBI over 89 games. He'll take his talents overseas for at least the next year, though a return to the MLB certainly can't be ruled out at this point.
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Tyler Austin: Elects free agency
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Austin declined his outright assignment Friday and elected free agency.
Austin spent time with the Twins, Giants and Brewers last season without much success, hitting .188/.296/.409 in 179 plate appearances. With a career .219/.292/.451 slash line, he's good enough to have a shot to earn a roster spot somewhere this offseason but shouldn't be considered a lock to do so.
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Brewers' Tyler Austin: Makes wild-card roster
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Austin is on the Brewers' wild-card roster.
It's a notable honor for a player who has been designated for assignment twice this season. He could be called on as a power bat off the bench in Tuesday's game against the Nationals.
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Brewers' Tyler Austin: Hammers three-run homer
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Austin hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in Sunday's 8-5 win over the Cubs.
Austin broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth inning with his 401-foot blast. He has nine homers this season but just a .196 batting average to show for it.
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Brewers' Tyler Austin: Not starting Sunday
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Austin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.
The lineup the Brewers released earlier in the day included Austin at first base, but a correction wasn't issued by the team until shortly before opening pitch. It's unclear what prompted the team's decision to scratch Austin, who has gone 1-for-3 with four walks in five games since being called up from Triple-A San Antonio on Sept. 1. Primary first baseman Eric Thames will draw a rare start versus a lefty with the Cubs bringing southpaw Jon Lester to the hill for the series finale.
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Brewers' Tyler Austin: Contract selected by Milwaukee
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Austin had his contract selected from Triple-A San Antonio by the Brewers on Sunday, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports.
Austin signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers in mid-August and hit well during his brief time with the Missions, posting a .333/.413/.611 slash line in 63 plate appearances. The 27-year-old struggled in 72 games between the Twins and Giants this season with a .686 OPS. Starting catcher Yasmani Grandal has been filling the short-side platoon at first base with the lefty-hitting Eric Thames since the trade deadline, a role Austin could help fill if he performs well.
Brewers' Tyler Austin: Gets MiLB deal from Milwaukee
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Austin and the Brewers agreed to terms Tuesday on a minor-league contract, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Austin elected free agency over the weekend after he was designated for assignment by the Giants on Aug. 2, paving the way for him to join the fourth organization of his career. While he'll likely report to Triple-A San Antonio initially, Austin should stand a decent chance of surfacing with the Brewers before the end of the season. Since Jesus Aguilar was dealt to the Rays on July 31, the Brewers have been getting by with starting catcher Yasmani Grandal as a short-side platoon mate for lefty-hitting first baseman Eric Thames, but Austin might prove to be a more ideal replacement for Aguilar. The 27-year-old owns a career .250/.336/.529 line (127 wRC+) in 241 plate appearances versus left-handed pitching.
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Tyler Austin: Elects free agency
Rotowire
Austin opted to become a free agent Friday.
Rather than be outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento, Austin will look to catch on with a different organization. He is a career .250/.336/.529 hitter (127 wRC+) against left-handed pitchers, which is his top trait.
Austin received 152 plate appearances with the Giants but failed to impress, striking out 39.5 percent of the time en route to a .187/.283/.403 slash line. Stephen Duggar was recalled in a corresponding move.
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Giants' Tyler Austin: Nabs first steal
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Austin went 1-for-2 with a stolen base, a run scored and a walk in Friday's 2-1 win over the Padres.
Austin drew a four-pitch walk in the second inning, then stole second base and came around to score on a Donovan Solano double to open the scoring. Austin has struggled at the plate this year, batting .185 with eight homers, 20 RBI and 25 runs scored in 128 at-bats between the Giants and the Twins.
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Giants' Tyler Austin: Goes deep off bench
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Austin delivered a solo home run in his lone plate appearance Friday against the Brewers.
Austin came off the bench to face the dominant Josh Hader, and the slugging outfielder won the battle with his eighth homer of the season. The 27-year-old is still batting just .195 with an ugly 40.3 K%, rendering his monster power (.246 ISO) useless in a diminished role.
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Giants' Tyler Austin: Homers in pinch-hit appearance
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Austin drilled a solo home run in his only at-bat in Tuesday's victory over Colorado.
Called upon to pinch hit in a tight 3-2 game, Austin responded by crushing a 411-foot home run to center field to provide an insurance run in the eventual victory. With seven home runs in 99 at-bats this season, Austin has certainly shown the ability to hit for power. Unfortunately, his struggles to make contact -- he has also struck out 45 times in those 99 at-bats -- have relegated him primarily to a bench role, as he has started only eight games in June.
Austin went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Dodgers.
Austin homered to right center field off reliever Yimi Garcia in the fourth inning, but he also struck out three times despite a bullpen day for the Dodgers with starter Rich Hill exiting after the first with left forearm discomfort. Austin has proven he can provide power, but he unfortunately hasn't contributed enough overall to secure a consistent spot in the lineup. The 27-year-old is batting .209/.294/.440 with six home runs, 15 RBI and 18 runs through 45 games.
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Giants' Tyler Austin: Bats third in loss
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Austin started in left field and went 1-for-4 in Wednesday's 7-0 loss to the Mets.
Austin got the nod against a southpaw, and was bumped up to third in the order with Buster Posey (hamstring) sidelined. The 27-year-old has made just three starts dating back to May 11, due in large part to a righty-heavy schedule. With Mike Yastrzemski currently occupying the stronger side of the platoon in left field, Austin will continue to see limited playing time despite carrying the highest isolated power rating (.284) on the team.
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Giants' Tyler Austin: Homers again in loss
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Austin went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 18-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Austin launched a 420-foot blast off Robbie Ray in the first inning to get the Giants on the board and has now homered in three straight games. Unfortunately, it accounted for the only runs of the night for the Giants. Over 28 games for San Francisco, Austin is batting .268/.349/.589 with 13 RBI and 13 runs scored as he continues to fight for a consistent spot in the lineup.
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Giants' Tyler Austin: Belts pinch-hit home run
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Austin slugged a solo home run as a pinch hitter in a loss to Atlanta on Thursday.
His 396-foot blast in the seventh inning extended the Giants' lead in a game they would ultimately lose in extra innings. It was Austin's second straight game with a home run and his fourth overall on the season. Perhaps the power surge will earn him a little more playing time -- he has started only two of the team's last 11 games.
