A former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher is now a free agent.
On Tuesday, the Athletics officially released eight-year MLB veteran Austin Wynns, after he was DFA’d once Shea Langeliers returned from the paternity list. The team announced the move as part of a slew of roster moves.
“The Athletics selected outfielder Henry Bolte and infielder Michael Stefanic from Triple-A Las Vegas, optioned infielder Brett Harris to Las Vegas and placed infielder Jacob Wilson on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Monday with a left shoulder subluxation. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the A’s designated right-handed pitcher Eduarniel Núñez for assignment. The A’s also announced that catcher Austin Wynns has cleared waivers and was released,” the A’s PR wrote on X.
Wynns appeared in 14 games with the Athletics, hitting .077 in 39 at-bats. He began his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles in 2022.
Wynns spent three years with the Orioles before signing a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was then traded to the San Francisco Giants for Michael Plassmeyer. He spent the 2022 season with the Giants, and after being DFA’d early into the 2023 season, he signed with the Dodgers.
However, Wynns only appeared in five games with the Dodgers before being claimed off waivers by the Colorado Rockies in May of 2023. The veteran catcher then signed a one-year MLB deal with the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason and spent parts of two seasons before being traded to the Athletics.
Following his release from the Athletics, Wynns will likely sign a minor-league deal with a team in the coming days to add some catching depth.
Dodgers Acquire Alek Thomas
As for the Dodgers, Los Angeles made an intriguing move on Tuesday.
The Dodgers acquired speedy center fielder Alek Thomas from the Arizona Diamondbacks for 17-year-old outfield prospect Jose Requena, who was part of L.A.’s most recent international signing class.
Arizona surprisingly DFA’d Thomas last Friday as he has had success at the MLB level in years past, but has struggled this season.
“It’s part of the game, and I think Alek understands that, but it’s hard to say goodbye to him and his wife, Kailey,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said about Thomas. “They’re great people. We’ve known them. We’ve watched them grow up. We watch them get engaged and get married, and when you have to say goodbye to them that’s painful. So I told him it hurt as much for me as it did, probably, for him.”
Thomas is hitting .181 with 2 home runs, 10 RBIs, and 4 stolen bases this season. The former second-round pick hit .249 with 9 home runs and 38 RBIs a year ago.
Los Angeles Battling for NL West Top Spot
The Dodgers haven’t been playing their best baseball this season, but they still remain one of the best teams in the MLB.
Los Angeles is 24-17, and in The Athletic’s latest power rankings on Tuesday, the Dodgers remained in the third spot.
“You can tell that something’s going wrong with the Dodgers because they have competition. The Padres are matching them win for win, which isn’t part of the plan. The Dodgers are supposed to be five games ahead by now, with an eye toward keeping their relievers fresh for the postseason. But Shohei Ohtani has been in an extended slump (.683 OPS since April 19), Kyle Tucker has been underwhelming and Tyler Glasnow is on the IL,” the article read.
The Dodgers are 0.5 games back for the top spot in the NL West.
Ex-Dodgers Catcher a Free Agent After Release by AL Team