Tigers' Oscar Mercado: Inks minors deal with Detroit
Rotowire
Mercado signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Friday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Mercado has yet to appear in the majors this season, though he slashed .226/.307/.425 with 11 homers and 42 RBI across 307 plate appearances with the Padres' Triple-A affiliate before being released at the beginning of August. He'll presumably report to Triple-A Toledo, where he'll serve as organizational depth in the outfield.
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Oscar Mercado: Cut loose by Friars
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The Padres released Mercado on Thursday.
Mercado lost his spot on Triple-A El Paso's roster after the affiliate needed to clear room for outfielder Brandon Lockridge, whom the Padres acquired in a trade with the Yankees on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Mercado played in 20 games at the big-league level with St. Louis in 2023 but never received a call-up to San Diego after slashing .226/.307/.425 with 11 home runs and 12 stolen bases across his 307 plate appearances with El Paso.
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Padres' Oscar Mercado: Joins Padres on minor-league deal
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Mercado signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Dec. 28.
Mercado played in 20 big-league games with the Cardinals last season, racking up nine hits and five RBI in 32 trips to the plate. Down in Triple-A, he slashed .298/.366/.521 with 14 homers and 62 RBI between three different organizations. The Padres have limited outfield depth on their current big-league roster, so Mercado may have a decent chance of playing in San Diego this season as a bench piece.
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Dodgers' Oscar Mercado: Joins Dodgers
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Mercado signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Saturday.
Mercado opted out of his minor-league deal with the Padres on Monday and will now move on to another National League West club. The 28-year-old outfielder has slashed .307/.378/.542 across 283 plate appearances in Triple-A this season and could become a depth option for the Dodgers once rosters expand in September.
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Oscar Mercado: Opts out of minors deal
Rotowire
Mercado was released by the Padres on Monday.
Mercado put up a 1.068 OPS with 10 homers and 10 steals in 31 games with Triple-A El Paso after signing a minor-league deal in July. He didn't see an imminent opportunity with the big-league club, though, so he's exercised an opt-out and will look for a gig elsewhere.
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Padres' Oscar Mercado: Catches on with Friars
Rotowire
Mercado signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Friday.
Mercado was assigned to Triple-A El Paso and appeared in three games for the club over the weekend, going 2-for-14 with a walk, two runs and three RBI. The 28-year-old could end up getting the call to San Diego later on in the season if the Padres are in need of an extra outfielder, but Mercado likely wouldn't be in line for enough playing time to attain fantasy relevance.
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Oscar Mercado: Elects free agency
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Mercado cleared waivers and elected free agency Wednesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Mercado lost his spot on the Cardinals' 40-man roster earlier this week and now will be on the lookout for a new home. The 28-year-old is a career .237/.289/.388 hitter over parts of five major-league seasons.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Moves off 40-man roster
Rotowire
Mercado was designated for assignment Monday.
Mercado received a good amount of playing time initially upon his promotion from Triple-A Memphis in mid-May, but he had received just one start and four plate appearances since the start of June. He'll now go through the waiver process.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Losing work to Burleson, Donovan
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Mercado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.
After getting steady run in the St. Louis lineup following his promotion from Triple-A Memphis on May 17, Mercado seems to have settled back into a fourth-outfielder role while Dylan Carlson (ankle) and Tyler O'Neill (back) are on the shelf. Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan will both pick up starts at the two corner-outfield spots for the third game in a row against a right-handed starting pitcher while Mercado remains on the bench. Mercado should still have a path to playing time versus left-handed pitching, however.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Starts again Thursday
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Mercado will start in right field and bat ninth in Thursday's game against the Reds.
Mercado will stick in the lineup for the fourth time in five games, with the 28-year-old picking up three starts in right and one in center field during that stretch. While the Cardinals are without the services of both Tyler O'Neill (back) and Dylan Carlson (ankle), Mercado looks as though he could have a fairly clear path to steady at-bats, especially if he continues to thrive at the plate. Since his May 17 call-up from Triple-A Memphis, Mercado is slashing .450/.450/.600 with a pair of stolen bases over 20 plate appearances.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Drives in five in win
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Mercado went 3-for-4 with a double and five RBI in Sunday's 10-5 win over the Dodgers.
Mercado was responsible for plating half of the Cardinals' runs, as each of his three hits brought at least one run home. This is his second three-hit effort in five games since he was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday. He's started three of those contests, including once against a right-handed pitcher. It's unclear how the Cardinals plan to deploy their outfielders going forward, but Mercado's hot start to his major-league campaign should continue to earn him looks.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Gets another start
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Mercado is starting in right field and batting ninth Friday against the Dodgers.
This marks back-to-back starts for Mercado -- the first was against a left-hander, while Friday's nod will come with right-hander Tony Gonsolin on the mound. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol is riding the hot hand after Mercado recorded three hits and two steals in Thursday's blowout win over Los Angeles. The 28-year-old may have a path toward regular at-bats with both Tyler O'Neill (back) and Dylan Carlson (ankle) on the injured list, although Tommy Edman (abdomen) had been receiving a look in right field prior to getting banged up himself.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Shows speed in win
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Mercado went 3-for-4 with a double, two stolen bases and three runs scored in Thursday's 16-8 win over the Dodgers.
Mercado was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday to bolster the Cardinals' suddenly thin outfield depth. He was in the starting lineup a day later and made an impact with his legs. He stole home as part of a double steal with Paul Goldschmidt in the fourth inning. Mercado hasn't been much of a consistent hitter in the majors, but he's got decent speed. With Dylan Carlson (ankle) and Tyler O'Neill (back) on the injured list, Mercado should see some time in a corner outfield role in the near term, though he's likely to see most of his starts versus southpaws.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Starts in left field Thursday
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Mercado is starting in left field and batting ninth for the Cardinals in Thursday's game against the Dodgers.
Alec Burleson will sit with left-hander Julio Urias on the mound for Los Angeles. Mercado was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday when Dylan Carlson (ankle) landed on the IL and could continue to get starts against lefties in a short-side platoon.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Promotion official
Rotowire
St. Louis selected Mercado's contract from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.
Mercado will get his first look in the big leagues as a member of the Cardinals, nearly 10 years after being drafted by the organization. He possesses decent speed -- as he showed at times during various stints in the majors with Cleveland -- but the overall fantasy upside is lacking. The 28-year-old outfielder has slashed just .200/.258/.330 in his last 459 major-league plate appearances dating back to the beginning of the 2020 season.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Call-up forthcoming
Rotowire
The Cardinals are expected to call up Mercado from Triple-A Memphis ahead of Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Mercado will give the Cardinals another outfielder capable of handling center field while Dylan Carlson is dealing with an ankle sprain, an injury that could result in him being placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. The 28-year-old Mercado has slashed .278/.361/.421 with two home runs and 15 stolen bases with Memphis this season and last appeared in the majors in 2022 with the Guardians and Phillies.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Signs with Cardinals
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The Cardinals signed Mercado to a minor-league contract Friday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Mercado will return to the team that drafted him back in 2013. The outfielder spent time with the Guardians and Phillies in 2022, producing a disappointing .207 average with four homers, 16 RBI, 17 runs and two stolen bases in 121 at-bats over 55 games.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Stays in Cleveland organization
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Mercado cleared waivers Thursday and will report to Triple-A Columbus, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
For the second time this season, Cleveland designated Mercado for assignment Monday, and he went unclaimed off waivers this time around and will stick around in the organization. The 27-year-old has struggled to a .207 batting average with four homers, 16 RBI, 17 runs and two stolen bases over 121 at-bats in 55 games between the Guardians and Phillies this season.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Loses 40-man spot
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The Guardians designated Mercado for assignment Monday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
For the second time in less than a month, Cleveland will move Mercado off its 40-man roster. The transaction clears a spot for Alex Call, who will replace Mercado as a right-handed-hitting option in the outfield. During his latest stint with Cleveland, Mercado appeared in five games and went 2-for-6 with a pair of walks.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Returns to Cleveland
Rotowire
The Guardians claimed Mercado off waivers from the Phillies on Sunday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Cleveland booted Mercado from its 40-man roster June 21, with Philadelphia electing to put in a waiver claim for the 27-year-old. His stint with the Phillies lasted less than week, however, as he was designated for assignment once again Friday. The Guardians had a need for an extra outfielder with Oscar Gonzalez (intercostal) landing on the IL on Saturday, so Mercado will rejoin the organization to help restore some depth. He'll be formally added to the 26-man active roster ahead of Monday's series opener in Detroit.
