Villar signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Monday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Villar elected to become a free agent after being designated for assignment by the Angels, and he decided to head up the coast and join the Mariners. While Villar will begin his Mariners tenure in the minors, he could get a shot to show what he can do with the big club before the campaign comes to a close.
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Jonathan Villar: Elects free agency
Rotowire
Villar cleared waivers and elected free agency Friday.
Villar was designated for assignment by the Angels last weekend but will choose to test free agency rather than remain in the organization. The 31-year-old has slashed .208/.260/.302 with three homers, 25 runs, 18 RBI and seven steals over 59 games in the majors this year.
Angels' Jonathan Villar: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Villar was designated for assignment by the Angels on Sunday.
Villar was signed by the Angels on July 1 after he was released by the Cubs, but he will now likely hit the open market again. While with Los Angeles, he produced an unimpressive .163 average with a homer, three RBI, six runs and a stolen base while striking out 17 times in 49 at-bats over 13 games. The move created an open spot on the 40-man roster for Magneuris Sierra, who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.
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Angels' Jonathan Villar: Pops third homer
Rotowire
Villar went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 8-1 loss to Atlanta.
His ninth-inning shot off Will Smith ruined Atlanta's shutout bid, but the Angels managed only five hits in total on the night. The homer was Villar's first as an Angel and third of the year, but the veteran infielder hasn't done much at the plate since coming over from the Cubs, slashing .178/.245/.244 through 50 plate appearances with Los Angeles. With David Fletcher (hip) and Matt Duffy (back) both inching closer to returns, Villar is running out of time just to stake his claim to a roster spot for the rest of the season, much less a regular role.
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Angels' Jonathan Villar: Drops to sixth in order
Rotowire
Villar will start at third base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Orioles, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
In each of his first six games with the Angels, Villar had served as the team's leadoff man, but he managed a paltry .208/.240/.208 slash line over that stretch. Though Villar will stick in the lineup Sunday and should be the Angels' primary third baseman while Matt Duffy (back) is on the injured list, interim manager Phil Nevin has seemingly chosen to pull the plug on Villar as the team's table setter, at least against right-handed pitching. Taylor Ward sits atop the lineup Sunday against Orioles right-hander Austin Voth.
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Angels' Jonathan Villar: Swipes first bag as Angel
Rotowire
Villar went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Marlins.
The veteran utility player nabbed his seventh steal of the year, but his first in three games since coming to the Angels from the Cubs. Villar's 2-for-12 performance at the plate so far for Anaheim isn't impressive, but he'll continue getting chances to fill the void at third base in the wake of Anthony Rendon's season-ending wrist injury.
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Angels' Jonathan Villar: Third straight leadoff assignment
Rotowire
Villar will start at third base and bat leadoff in Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Villar will get his third consecutive turn out of the leadoff spot, despite having reached base just once while striking out four times through his first eight plate appearances with the Angels. Though Villar is getting a look as the Angels' everyday third baseman after Matt Duffy (back) recently joined Anthony Rendon (wrist) on the injured list, don't expect him to have a long leash as the team's table setter if he doesn't start producing soon.
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Angels' Jonathan Villar: Hitless in team debut
Rotowire
Villar went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts Sunday in a loss to the Astros.
Villar slotted in as the Angels' leadoff hitter and starting third baseman in his first game with the club, but he didn't have much of an impact on the team's slumping offense. The veteran walked in his second at-bat but didn't otherwise reach base. Villar is expected to take over as Los Angeles' primary third baseman while Matt Duffy (back) remains on the injured list, but it isn't certain if he'll take on leadoff duties on a frequent basis.
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Angels' Jonathan Villar: Signs with Angels
Rotowire
Villar agreed to a deal with the Angels on Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Villar struggled through 46 games for the Cubs, hitting just .222/.271/.327 before getting released in late June. He did post above-average batting lines in both 2019 and 2021 and shouldn't be over the hill at age 31, however, so there's a chance he can carve out regular at-bats among a group of unimpressive infield options in Anaheim.
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Angels' Jonathan Villar: Not in Saturday's lineup
Rotowire
Villar isn't starting Saturday against the Astros, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Villar signed with the Angels on Friday, but he won't start Saturday's matchup. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available off the bench, but David MacKinnon is starting at the hot corner and batting sixth.
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Jonathan Villar: Let go by Cubs
Rotowire
The Cubs released Villar on Tuesday.
The Cubs dropped Villar from their 40-man roster Friday, and as anticipated, none of MLB's other 29 teams were willing to put in a waiver claim for the 31-year-old, who was playing on a $6 million salary in 2022. Since Villar likely wouldn't have been receptive to a minor-league assignment to Triple-A Iowa, the Cubs instead opted to let the veteran explore his options elsewhere. Even though he produced a lowly .598 OPS in 166 plate appearances for the Cubs this season, Villar's speed and ability to play multiple infield spots could be enough for another club to bring him aboard on a lower-cost deal.
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Cubs' Jonathan Villar: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Villar was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
The 31-year-old was originally in the lineup for Friday's matchup with the Cardinals, but the Cubs instead opted to remove him from the 40-man roster and reinstate David Bote (shoulder/head) from the 60-day injured list. Villar joined Chicago on a one-year, $6 million deal in March but struggled to a .222/.271/.327 slash line with two home runs, 15 RBI and six stolen bases in 46 games.
Villar is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates.
Villar will take a seat after he picked up starts in the infield in eight of the Cubs' last nine contests. Andrelton Simmons will get a look at second base in his stead, but Villar is projected to serve as the primary option at that position until Nick Madrigal (groin) is ready to return from the 10-day injured list.
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Cubs' Jonathan Villar: Enters lineup Saturday
Rotowire
Villar will start at third base and bat fifth in Saturday's game against Atlanta.
Villar got Friday off but will enter the lineup with Patrick Wisdom getting a breather. The versatile 31-year-old got off to a hot start this season, though he's batting just .100 this month with a .382 OPS across eight games. Villar's last multi-hit performance came back on May 21.
Villar is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Atlanta.
Villar was returned from the injured list last week and started the past five games, but he'll head to the bench after going 2-for-19 with an RBI, two runs and a stolen base during that stretch. He should continue to see increased playing time at second base until Nick Madrigal (groin) rejoins the active roster, though it's Andrelton Simmons who starts at the keystone Friday.
