The Mets signed Ortega to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.
Ortega received 17 plate appearances with the White Sox in 2024 but spent most of his time at Triple-A Charlotte, where he put up a .912 OPS with 11 homers and 17 steals. The 33-year-old appeared in 47 games for the Mets in 2023, collecting a .613 OPS. Ortega will compete for a reserve outfielder job in spring training but will likely begin 2025 at Triple-A Syracuse.
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White Sox's Rafael Ortega: Outrighted to Charlotte
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Ortega cleared waivers Friday and was sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Ortega held the right to decline his outright assignment and elect free agency, but he will instead remain within the White Sox organization and look to turn things around in the minors. The 33-year-old went 1-for-14 during his stint with the Sox, but he has slashed .241/.378/.431 with 14 RBI through 75 plate appearances with Charlotte.
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White Sox's Rafael Ortega: Removed from 40-man roster
Rotowire
The White Sox designated Ortega for assignment Wednesday.
The veteran outfielder went 1-for-14 at the plate during his time with the White Sox. Ortega will likely clear waivers and could report to Triple-A Charlotte, but he has enough tenure to decline a potential outright assignment and elect free agency if he prefers.
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White Sox's Rafael Ortega: Swipes first two bags of season
Rotowire
Ortega went 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Nationals.
Getting the start in center field and batting seventh against southpaw Mitchell Parker, Ortega swiped second base both times he got on board. The hit and the steals were the first of the season for the 33-year-old, and the last two starts for the lefty-swinging Ortega have curiously come against left-handed pitching, as he filled in for Gavin Sheets on Tuesday and Andrew Benintendi on Sunday. With Luis Robert (hip) close to beginning a rehab assignment, Ortega's time on the big-league roster is likely drawing to a close.
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White Sox's Rafael Ortega: Joins big-league roster
Rotowire
The White Sox selected Ortega's contract from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Ortega was slashing .241/.378/.431 with three home runs and six stolen bases for Charlotte. Given Chicago's dearth of quality options, the 32-year-old could see semi-regular reps in the outfield.
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Rafael Ortega: Hits open market
Rotowire
Ortega elected to become a free agent Tuesday.
Ortega cleared waivers after being pushed off the Mets' 40-man roster last week. The 32-year-old outfielder drew regular playing time down the stretch this season in Queens but finished with an ugly .219 batting average and .613 OPS across 136 total plate appearances.
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Mets' Rafael Ortega: Added to lineup Wednesday
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Ortega was added to the lineup for Wednesday's game at Miami.
Ortega will start in left field and bat sixth versus the Marlins and right-hander Eury Perez after DJ Stewart (wrist) had to be scratched just before first pitch.
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Mets' Rafael Ortega: Loses hold of regular role
Rotowire
Ortega is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Ortega appears to have lost of his regular spot in the lineup against right-handed pitching in the wake of the Mets promoting top prospect Ronny Mauricio from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday. With Mauricio picking up his third straight start at second base Sunday, Jeff McNeil will make his third consecutive start in the outfield, leaving no room in the lineup for Ortega. Since being promoted from Syracuse himself Aug. 1, Ortega has slashed .238/.337/.300 in 92 plate appearances with the Mets.
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Mets' Rafael Ortega: On bench against lefty
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Ortega is out of the lineup Tuesday versus the Rangers.
Ortega has put together a three-game hitting streak, but the 32-year-old left-handed hitter will take a seat Tuesday with southpaw Andrew Heaney toeing the slab for Texas. Tim Locastro is covering left field and batting ninth for the Mets.
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Mets' Rafael Ortega: Pops first homer
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Ortega went 1-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Monday's win over Atlanta.
The journeyman outfielder took Allan Winans deep in the second inning for his first homer of 2023. Ortega has started 14 of the last 16 games, mostly in center field, and he's earned that playing time with a .280/.345/.360 slash line, three steals, five RBI and nine runs. The 32-year-old isn't part of the Mets' future, but he seems poised to be a big part of the team's patchwork lineup for the rest of the season.
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Mets' Rafael Ortega: Sitting against lefty
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Ortega is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Pirates.
Tim Locastro will start in center field and bat ninth as the Mets take on left-hander Bailey Falter. The left-handed-hitting Ortega went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's series-opening victory over Pittsburgh.
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Mets' Rafael Ortega: Knocks three hits
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Ortega went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's win over Atlanta.
Ortega scored the Mets' first run of the game in the third inning and later ripped a two-run single in the fifth. It was his second multi-hit game of the year and first three-hit performance. In 12 games since being promoted to the MLB level, he's slashing .243/.317/.270 with four runs scored and one extra-base hit.
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Mets' Rafael Ortega: Sitting Game 2 on Saturday
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Ortega is not in the starting lineup for Game 2 on Saturday versus Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Ortega will take a seat after he went 1-for-7 with two walks, a strikeout and a stolen base over the first two games of the series. Brandon Nimmo will slide over to left field while Tim Locastro enters the lineup in center field and bats ninth against Atlanta.
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Mets' Rafael Ortega: Seeing steady playing time
Rotowire
Ortega will start in left field and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Cubs.
Ortega has recorded just two hits in 15 at-bats since he was called up from Triple-A Syracuse last Tuesday, but he's picked up starts in the outfield in six of the Mets' ensuing seven games. With Tommy Pham and Mark Canha getting moved at the trade deadline and with Starling Marte (groin) landing on the injured list Monday, Ortega looks like he'll have a fairly clear path to steady playing time despite having yet to offer much production at the dish.
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Mets' Rafael Ortega: Contract selected Tuesday
Rotowire
The Mets selected Ortega's contract from Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Ortega joined New York on a minor-league deal in mid-June and will join the big club Tuesday to help fill out the roster after the Mets shipped off numerous players at the trade deadline. The 32-year-old had a .689 OPS with the Cubs last season and had a .230/.379/.398 slash line in 30 games for Syracuse.
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Mets' Rafael Ortega: Gets minors deal from Mets
Rotowire
Ortega signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Friday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.
Ortega was released by the Rangers earlier this month after slashing .226/.333/.381 with five home runs and eight stolen bases across 199 plate appearances. He's capable of playing all three outfield spots and will give the Mets some veteran depth at Triple-A Syracuse.
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Rangers' Rafael Ortega: Joins Rangers
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Ortega signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers on Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Ortega was released from his contract with the Yankees after failing to make the big-league team this spring. He'll now have the chance to earn a more substantial role with Texas, which has a need in center field so long as Leody Taveras (oblique) is sidelined.
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Yankees' Rafael Ortega: Good shot to win roster spot
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Ortega has a good shot to win an Opening Day roster spot with the Yankees following the injury to Harrison Bader (oblique), Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
Manager Aaron Boone noted that Ortega was firmly in the mix even before Bader's injury and now his roster spot might be cinched. He could even get a good number of starts in center field while Bader is out if the team prefers to keep Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks on the corners. Ortega posted a .753 OPS as a semi-regular with the Cubs over the previous two seasons.
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Yankees' Rafael Ortega: Catches on with Yankees
Rotowire
Ortega signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Tuesday, Empire Sports Media reports.
The deal presumably includes an invite to major-league spring training. Ortega is a solid depth signing for a team which has a couple injury risks in center field in Harrison Bader and Aaron Hicks and a left fielder in Oswaldo Cabrera whose main experience is as an infielder. The 31-year-old had an .823 OPS as a part-timer with the Cubs in 2021 before falling off to a .688 OPS in 2022.
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Rafael Ortega: Becomes free agent
Rotowire
The Cubs declined to tender Ortega a contract for 2023, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
With that, Ortega is now a free agent. This comes just a little over a year after Ortega's incredible run in his debut with the Cubs (.291/.360/.463 line, 11 homers and 12 steals in his first 103 games). As is often the case, the league started pitching him differently and the results suffered. Ortega is already 31 but figures to stick around the league for now as a reserve outfielder.
