Mariners infielder Jason Vosler went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma, the team announced Wednesday. He has the ability to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, although he can also become a minor league free agent at season’s end even if he accepts for now.
Vosler, 31, only appeared in 10 games with the M’s and tallied 30 plate appearances, batting .179/.233/.286 with a double and a triple in that cup of coffee. It’s the fourth big league season in which the former Cubs draftee (2014, 16th round) has appeared in the majors. Vosler has also played for the Giants and Reds, combining for 288 big league plate appearances with a .207/.274/.395 slash, 10 homers, 13 doubles and three triples.
Modest big league track record aside, Vosler has regularly been a productive Triple-A hand, including this year with the Mariners’ top affiliate in Tacoma, where he batted .299/.368/.566 with 28 big flies in just 485 turns at the plate. It’s the sixth partial season Vosler has spent in Triple-A, and he’s a lifetime .273/.347/.503 hitter in that time. He’s primarily been a third baseman, with more than 5000 professional innings at the position, but he’s also topped 2000 innings at first base and has a couple hundred innings of corner outfield work under his belt as well.
Whether it happens now or at the end of the season, Vosler figures to become a minor league free agent and look to latch on with another club seeking a lefty-swinging corner option with some pop in his bat. Given his track record in the upper minors, he should land another minor league deal this offseason.