The Minnesota Twins have signed utility player Niko Goodrum to a minor-league deal. The signing is of the full-circle variety as the Twins drafted Goodrum in the second round of the 2010 draft while he debuted in the big leagues with the club for 11 games in the 2017 season. However, the bulk of Goodrum's big-league time has come with the Tigers as he impressed with a .245 average alongside 16 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 131 games in the 2018 season. However, his bat would tail off over the next four big league seasons. He went overseas to play for Lotte of the KBO in 2023 and while he hit a quality .295, he interestingly did not hit a home run or steal a base across 50 games played. He could crack the Twins as a super utility option or give them versatile depth at Triple-A.
The Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization signed free-agent infielder Niko Goodrum to a $400,000 deal on Tuesday. Goodrum will be replacing Zach Reks, who has been out with a knee injury since mid-May. The 31-year-old Goodrum has played in 402 major-league games with the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros since 2017. He had his best year in 2018 with the Tigers, putting up 16 home runs, 53 RBI and 12 stolen bases. The switch-hitter didn't play at all in the majors in 2023 and hit just .116 (5-for-43) with no homers, one RBI, two doubles and a steal in 15 games for the Astros in 2022. Goodrum was hitting .280/.448/.440 with eight homers, 36 RBI and seven steals in 65 games for Triple-A Worcester, a minor-league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, this year. He's played every position except pitcher and catcher.
Niko Goodrum, Red Sox Agree On Minor-League Contract
Infielder/outfielder Niko Goodrum and the Boston Red Sox have reportedly agreed to a minor-league contract, per a tweet from FanSided's Robert Murray on Wednesday morning. The veteran hit .116 with a .156 on-base percentage and a stolen base in 45 plate appearances for the Houston Astros last season. He logged a .311 average and a .500 on-base percentage to go along with a pair of home runs and stolen bases in 62 plate appearances for Houston's Triple-A affiliate during the 2022 campaign.
Former Houston Astros infielder Niko Goodrum has been released. The 30-year-old was designated for assignment earlier this week and went unclaimed on waivers. The former Detroit Tiger inked a one-year deal worth $2.1 million with Houston back in March but didn't make an impact with his new club. He logged just 43 at-bats and put together a horrible .116/.156/.163 triple-slash line. A career .226 hitter, time could be running out for Goodrum. With that said, he still could provide organizational depth for a new club down the stretch.
Mauricio Dubon Activated, Niko Goodrum Sent To Triple-A
The Houston Astros activated infielder/outfielder Mauricio Dubon on Sunday. He will be filling the roster spot of infielder Niko Goodrum, who was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land. Dubon was traded to the Astros from the San Francisco Giants on Saturday. He gives the team a great deal of versatility in the field as he has played second and third base as well as shortstop and outfield in the majors. Over 21 games with the Giants this year, the 27-year-old slashed .239/.245/.391 with two home runs, eight RBI and 10 runs.
The Houston Astros signed free-agent infielder Niko Goodrum on Saturday to a $2.1 million deal plus incentives. Goodrum will most likely serve as a utility infielder for the Astros after he slashed .232/.306/.401 with 42 home runs, 151 RBI and 45 stolen bases for the Detroit Tigers in a four-year span from 2018-21. In 2021, he had a .214/.292/.359 slash line to go with nine home runs, 33 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 325 plate appearances over 90 games played. The 30-year-old will certainly be worth picking up off the waiver wire in deeper leagues if an injury in Houston thrusts him into regular playing time, mainly for his speed on the basepaths.
Detroit Tigers utility man Niko Goodrum is now a free agent. The versatile Goodrum was placed on waivers by the club, and elected to hit the open market rather than accept a minor-league assignment. Goodrum has been relevant for fantasy managers on a sporadic basis over the past three seasons, mostly for his multiple positional eligibility and ability to steal a base. In 2021, he slashed .214/.292/.359 with nine home runs and 14 steals in 90 games and 290 at-bats. He does not appear likely to receive regular playing time in 2022 regardless of where he catches on, making him undraftable for fantasy managers come spring.
Detroit Tigers shortstop Niko Goodrum helped lead the team to a 10-7 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. He went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in the game. The 29-year-old veteran has dealt with a lot of injuries this year. He's compiled 14 stolen bases over 88 games this year, but hasn't offered much fantasy value otherwise. He's slashing .216/.297/.365 with nine home runs, 33 RBI and 39 runs on the year. He's cut down a bit on strikeouts this year. Last year, he had a 38.5% strikeout rate that ranked in the bottom 1% of the league. This year, his strikeout rate is down to a more palatable 32.5%.
Detroit Tigers infielder Niko Goodrum was one of the lone offensive standouts in the team's 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. He went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the game and he was also caught stealing in his only attempt. The home run was his seventh of the year and his first since July 10, though he missed over a month due to injuries from mid-July to early September. Goodrum has been really struggling at the plate in September. He had gone just 4-for-34 through his first 12 games of the month before breaking through on Thursday. He was a solid source of stolen bases earlier this year, tallying 12 steals from April through June. However, he hasn't managed to steal a single base since the start of July.
The Detroit Tigers activated infielder Niko Goodrum (groin) from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday. The 29-year-old is batting .224 with a .304 on-base percentage, six home runs, and 12 stolen bases so far this season. Goodrum can certainly contribute with some stolen bases, but he's also striking out 35.4% of the time, which limits his fantasy upside. He's probably only an option in deeper leagues right now. Manager A.J. Hinch has played Goodrum at five different positions this season, but the veteran might not be a lock to start every day if the Tigers continue to give younger players like Zack Short, Willi Castro, and Derek Hill regular starts.
Niko Goodrum
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Twins
