The Mets designated infielder Vidal Brujan for assignment before Tuesday’s game against Cincinnati, according to SNY’s Chelsea Janes.
It’s a quick exit for Brujan, who managed just one hit in 13 at-bats across nine games with the club. That’s now four different teams for the 28-year-old over the past two seasons.
The move clears space for Zack Short, who the Mets claimed off waivers yesterday. Short’s expected to join the roster as the corresponding move.
What makes Brujan’s situation notable is how far he’s fallen from his prospect days. Baseball America ranked him in the middle of their top 100 prospects from 2019 to 2022.
“Once upon a time, Bruján was considered a top prospect,” Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors wrote. “In the Rays’ system at that time, he was considered a fairly well-rounded player. Though he didn’t have power, he had speed, contact ability and strong defense at multiple positions.”
That promise never translated at the big league level.
Short brings his own journeyman story to Queens. The 29-year-old has bounced around six different organizations during his MLB career, including stops with Houston and Detroit already this season.
His numbers aren’t pretty – **.172/.273/.292** with 15 home runs and a **.565 OPS** across 264 career games. But it’s Short’s defensive versatility that keeps landing him roster spots. He can handle shortstop, second base, and third base competently enough.
For Brujan, this marks his second DFA from the Mets this year. They designated him before Opening Day too, but he cleared waivers and stuck around in the organization.
Now he’s headed back to the waiver wire, where teams will get another chance to see if there’s anything left of that former top prospect. At 28, he’s running out of opportunities to prove he belongs in the majors.
