Miami Marlins Designate Former Top Prospect José Devers For Assignment

Infielder José Devers, one of the three players the New York Yankees traded for Giancarlo Stanton back in 2017, has officially lost his spot on the Miami Marlins' 40-man roster.

Sep 1, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Miami Marlins second baseman Jose Devers (79) stands in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Miami Marlins have designated infielder José Devers for assignment, the team announced Thursday afternoon.

Devers had been on the Marlins' big league roster since Aug. 31, when he got called up from Triple-A Jacksonville. He hurt his hand on Sept. 6, though, and only logged four at-bats before getting cut loose Thursday.

The 24-year-old lost his roster spot to infielder Vidal Bruján, who was reinstated from the injured list after missing nearly three weeks. Outfielder David Hensley was also optioned to Triple-A with outfielder Derek Hill coming off the injured list.

Today’s roster update presented by @UMiamiHealth: pic.twitter.com/kZrpAXyoqf

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) September 19, 2024

This isn't the first time Devers has been designated for assignment. He was also cut loose from the Marlins' 40-man roster in November 2022, although he cleared waivers and got outrighted to the minors five days later.

Devers was one of the three players the Marlins got back from the New York Yankees when they traded away superstar Giancarlo Stanton in December 2017. Starlin Castro and Jorge Guzmán made up the rest of the package, but neither of them have seen MLB action since 2021.

That isn't too far off from what Devers has given Miami as of late, considering his three appearances earlier this month were his first since 2021. Devers entered that season as a top 10 prospect in the Marlins' farm system, but he hit just .244 with a .621 OPS in 21 big league games and got sent back down soon after.

Devers missed a good chunk of the 2022 campaign with a shoulder injury, and he spent the entirety of 2023 in Double-A. In his minor league career, Devers is a .261 hitter with a .686 OPS, averaging just five home runs, 56 RBI and 19 stolen bases per 162 games.

The once-promising middle infielder will now hit the waiver wire. If he goes unclaimed, Devers will either be sent back to the minors or released.

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