Infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Mets, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Syracuse. Bruján has the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency if he chooses. He seems quite likely to accept, given that he’s on a split big league deal and would forfeit any remaining guarantees and be subject to potentially lesser rates of pay on a new minor league deal elsewhere. He already accepted one outright assignment with the Mets earlier this season but was selected back to the roster last month.
Bruján appeared in nine games for the Mets this season but tallied only 13 plate appearances. He went 1-for-11 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt in that tiny sample. The former top prospect was acquired from the Twins in exchange for cash back in January, though he never actually appeared in a game with Minnesota (who’d previously picked him up off waivers). Bruján has now suited up for six teams across parts of six big league seasons.
Despite landing on nearly every top-100 prospect ranking from 2019-22 while in the Rays system, Bruján has yet to hit in the majors. He’s totaled 658 plate appearances but logged only a .197/.266/.272 slash in that time. Bruján carries a decent .270/.352/.438 line in 254 Triple-A games and is capable of playing all over the infield/outfield, but his poor MLB performance and lack of minor league options allowed him to pass through waivers.
Assuming Bruján accepts the outright assignment, he’ll stick with the Mets as non-roster depth for the time being. He’ll hope to hit his way back to the majors or perhaps get called up in the aftermath of a potential Mets deadline sale. If he’s not added back to the major league roster before season’s end, he’d have the right to become a free agent at season’s end, as is the case for all players who have three-plus years of big league service but have been outrighted off their team’s 40-man roster.
