Astudillo has signed with the SoftBank Hawks of the KBO, Nikkan Sports reports.
The 31-year-old infielder has had a 5.5 percent strikeout rate and 1.5 percent walk rate in 271 MLB plate appearances over the past two seasons, but he hit just .237 with eight home runs over that stretch. Astudillo could find offensive success in the KBO, but he will likely always be a defensive liability.
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Marlins' Willians Astudillo: Clears waivers
Rotowire
The Marlins outrighted Astudillo to Triple-A Jacksonville on Aug. 1.
Astudillo will remain in the Miami organization after he was recently designated for assignment for the second time this season. He's logged 55 plate appearances for the Marlins in 2022, slashing .241/.255/.296.
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Marlins' Willians Astudillo: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Astudillo was designated for assignment Friday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Astudillo started four of the last five games and went 3-for-17 with a strikeout. The 30-year-old will lose his spot on the Marlins' 40-man roster after Charles Leblanc was called up to take his place as infield depth.
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Marlins' Willians Astudillo: Sitting Thursday
Rotowire
Astudillo will sit Thursday against the Reds, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Astudillo will get a breather after he went 3-for-13 while starting each of the first three games of the series at second base. Luke Williams replace him in the field and bat eighth versus Cincinnati.
Astudillo will start at second base and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Reds.
He'll be picking up his fourth consecutive start, including his third in a row at the keystone. With Brian Anderson (shoulder) recently joining Jazz Chisholm (back) and Jon Berti (groin) on the injured list, the Marlins could have a near-everyday role in the infield available for Astudillo or Luke Williams until at least one of the three injured players gets healthy.
Asudillo had his contract selected by the Marlins and will start at third base and bat eighth Sunday against the Pirates, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
The 30-year-old was designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville by Miami in late June, but he'll rejoin the big-league club Sunday with Brian Anderson (shoulder) headed to the injured list. Astudillo has a .270/.289/.351 slash line with one home run, four RBI and five runs in 17 games this year for the Marlins.
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Marlins' Willians Astudillo: Clears waivers
Rotowire
The Marlins outrighted Astudillo to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday.
Astudillo looks like he'll stick around in the Miami organization after he went unclaimed when he was exposed to waivers a few days earlier. Before losing his spot on the Marlins' 40-man roster, Astudillo appeared in 17 games with the big club and slashed .270/.289/.351 across 38 plate appearances.
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Marlins' Willians Astudillo: DFA'd by Miami
Rotowire
Astudillo was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Sunday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
The 30-year-old was called up to the big-league club in late May, and he had a .270/.289/.351 slash line with one home run, four RBI and five runs in 17 games over the past month. Astudillo could remain in the organization if he passes through waivers unclaimed. Erik Gonzalez had his contract selected in a corresponding move.
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Marlins' Willians Astudillo: Slugs first homer with Miami
Rotowire
Astudillo went 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Rockies.
Astudillo was in the lineup at second base, his second start at the position since being promoted to Miami on May 25. He took German Marquez yard in the third inning for a two-run home run -- his first of the campaign -- and followed that up with an RBI single one frame later. Astudillo isn't likely to draw consistent starts at one position, but his defensive versatility should help him earn regular playing time. He has collected five hits across his first 17 at-bats in the majors this season.
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Marlins' Willians Astudillo: Contract selected by Miami
Rotowire
Astudillo had his contract selected by the Marlins on Wednesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Astudillo was unable to earn a spot on Miami's Opening Day roster but will now receive a look in the big leagues. The 30-year-old has experience across the diamond but should primarily provide depth at catcher and the corner infield spots.
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Marlins' Willians Astudillo: Left off Opening Day roster
Rotowire
Astudillo isn't on the Marlins' Opening Day roster, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Astudillo served as a non-roster invitee this spring and hit .286 with a double and two RBI across nine Grapefruit League contests. He was unable to break camp with the big-league club but will be a candidate to serve as utility depth at some point.
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Marlins' Willians Astudillo: Lands with Marlins
Rotowire
Astudillo signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins on Sunday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.
Astudillo appeared in a career-high 73 games with the Twins in 2021 and hit .236 with seven home runs, 21 RBI and 17 runs. He's made appearances in the majors in each of the last four seasons and will presumably compete for a roster spot during big-league spring training in 2022.
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Willians Astudillo: Heads to open market
Rotowire
The Twins released Astudillo on Wednesday after he cleared waivers, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
After a four-year stint in the Minnesota organization, the 30-year-old Astudillo will try his luck elsewhere following his removal from the 40-man roster last week. Though he's seen the bulk of his work at catcher during his minor-league career, the Twins were reluctant to use him behind the plate at the big-league level for most of the past two seasons, with Astudillo instead serving mostly as a utility infielder. While Astudillo's 91.3 percent career contact rate is matched by few, a paucity of power and a minuscule 1.9 percent walk rate has thus far rendered him a below-average hitter (86 wRC+) during his time in the majors. He'll likely have to settle for a minor-league deal this winter.
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Twins' Willians Astudillo: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Astudillo was designated for assignment Friday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Astudillo is a fan favorite with a very unique statistical profile, possessing a career 4.7 percent strikeout rate and a 1.9 percent walk rate. He posted impressive small-sample numbers in his debut in 2018 but hasn't done much since then, hitting .254/.278/.382 across 139 games. That line doesn't work even for a player who's nominally a catcher, and Astudillo's poor defense at that spot meant he only started 25 games behind the plate over the last three years.
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Twins' Willians Astudillo: Homers in loss
Rotowire
Astudillo went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Thursday's loss to the Red Sox.
Astudillo got the Twins on the board with a 371-foot shot against Chris Sale in the fifth inning. The 29-year-old has battled for playing time this season, hitting .257/.281/.421 with seven long balls across 61 games. Mitch Garver (back) and Ryan Jeffers (heel) are both nursing injuries, which could open up more catching opportunities for Astudillo.
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Twins' Willians Astudillo: Good to go Friday
Rotowire
Astudillo (foot) is starting at first base and batting seventh Friday against the Yankees, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Astudillo hasn't seen game action since Sunday when he exited after being hit by a pitch on the foot, but he'll rejoin the starting nine Friday. The 29-year-old should see increased work at first base all weekend with Miguel Sano potentially out until Tuesday while on the paternity list.
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Twins' Willians Astudillo: Exits after HBP
Rotowire
Astudillo was removed from Sunday's game against the Rays after being hit by a pitch on the foot, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Astudillo went 0-for-2 before being hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth inning, and he was unable to remain in the contest to run the bases. The 29-year-old figures to undergo X-rays and should be considered day-to-day until the team updates his status.
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Twins' Willians Astudillo: Slugs decisive homer
Rotowire
Astudillo went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a victory over the White Sox on Tuesday.
Minnesota was trailing by a run entering the sixth inning, but Astudillo turned things around with a two-run shot to left field that gave the Twins a 4-3 lead. That ended up being the final score, as neither team was able to cross the plate over the remainder of the game. Astudillo entered the contest with only one hit in nine at-bats in August, and he has been riding the pine at the start of games more often than not lately.
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Twins' Willians Astudillo: Raps three hits in loss
Rotowire
Astudillo went 3-for-4 with a double in a loss to the Cardinals on Friday.
Playing third base and hitting out of the five spot, Astudillo notched his second straight three-hit performance and belted his second double in as many games. He has gone 6-for-10 over his past two games to lift his season average from .246 to .271.
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Twins' Willians Astudillo: Records fifth homer
Rotowire
Astudillo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday against Detroit.
Astudillo took Tyler Alexander yard in the fourth inning to record his fifth home run of the season. Since being recalled from Triple-A St. Paul on July 21, Astudillo has drawn three starts and recorded 12 plate appearances. He's managed only two hits in that span, though both have gone for extra bases. Overall, he's hitting .246/.271/.396 across 140 plate appearances on the season.
