The Marlins announced Monday that they’ve designated infielder Emmanuel Rivera for assignment and optioned righty George Soriano to Triple-A Jacksonville. Their roster spots will go to right-hander Adam Oller and second baseman/left fielder Connor Norby, whose previously
reported promotions to the big leagues are now official.
Acquired in exchange for cash after the D-backs designated him for assignment, Rivera appeared in 96 games for Miami and tallied 229 plate appearances. He hit just .214/.296/.269 in that time, clocking in 39% worse than a league-average hitter, by measure of wRC+. The 28-year-old provided plus defense at third base, as he’s done with the Royals and D-backs throughout his three prior MLB seasons, and he filled in occasionally at first base as well. The slick glovework at the hot corner was no longer enough to outweigh a trio of slash stats all sitting shy of .300, however.
Rivera is out of minor league options, so the Marlins didn’t have the ability to send him to the minors without removing him from the 40-man roster. Rivera will reach three years of big league service time tomorrow, while he’s in DFA limbo, so he’d have been arbitration-eligible and due a raise this offseason had the Fish opted to keep him on the roster. That would’ve made him a non-tender candidate anyhow, but Rivera will now be available to the other 29 clubs via waivers. If he clears, he’ll have exactly enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
With Rivera jettisoned from the roster and Norby on the way up, it seems quite possible that defensive-minded second baseman Otto Lopez will now slide over to third base, with Norby taking frequent reps at second base. Lopez has graded out brilliantly at second base but provided scant offensive production. However, Lopez is younger, more versatile, more controllable and still has a minor league option remaining, so of the two defensive-minded righty-hitting infielders it’ll be Lopez rather than Rivera who keeps his spot on the roster.
