Dustin Harris opted out of a minor league deal with the White Sox, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. He’s a free agent because Chicago granted him his release in lieu of adding him to the MLB roster.
Harris has spent the past couple months at Triple-A Charlotte after signing a minor league deal in May. It was his second stint in the Chicago organization. Harris signed an offseason non-roster contract with the Sox and was called up in early April. They lost him on waivers to the Astros but brought him back when Houston dropped him a few weeks later.
The lefty-hitting outfielder has had a strong year in Triple-A, batting .312/.396/.490 with six homers across 183 plate appearances. Harris has an impressive .281/.370/.429 showing in nearly 1500 trips to the dish over four seasons at the top minor league level. He has only gotten sporadic looks against MLB pitching, hitting .225 with a couple home runs in 38 games. Harris had spent the first couple seasons with the Rangers before logging a combined 17 games between Chicago and Houston this year.
Harris is out of minor league options, a big reason he was pushed off the 40-man roster in both Chicago and Houston. The 26-year-old (27 next week) has always had a solid reputation for his pure hitting ability, but he’s stretched in center field and doesn’t have the plus power typically associated with a corner. He should quickly find another minor league opportunity given his Triple-A numbers.
