The San Diego Padres signed free-agent outfielder Oscar Mercado to a minor-league deal. Mercado will report to spring training in 2024 hoping to impress the coaching staff and earn a reserve outfield role on the Opening Day roster. The 29-year-old Colombian played in only 20 games at the major-league level in 2023 with the St. Louis Cardinals, going 9-for-31 (.290) with no homers, five RBI and two stolen bases. He was solid on the farm with three different the Triple-A organizations of the Cardinals, Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, too, and will have a legitimate shot at earning a bench role in San Diego given their lack of outfield depth at the moment. In his five seasons in the big leagues since debuting in 2019 with the Cleveland Guardians, Mercado has slashed .237/.289/.388 with 26 home runs, 100 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 298 career games.
San Diego Padres outfielder Oscar Mercado has opted out of his minor-league deal with the club and is now a free agent eligible to sign with any club. The 28-year-old enjoyed a fairly promising debut season as a 24-year-old with Cleveland in the 2019 season, hitting 15 homers and swiping 15 bases across 115 games. However, Mercado has since struggled in the big leagues and posted a .700 OPS across 32 plate appearances with the Cardinals this season. However, Mercado also hit .339 with 10 HR, 10 SB, and a 1.068 OPS across 31 games with Triple-A El Paso after inking a minor-league pact with the Friars, figures that could potentially generate interest from big-league clubs down the stretch.
Oscar Mercado Delivers Three Hits, Two Swipes In Wild Win
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Mercado emerged with three knocks, two stolen bases, and three runs scored from a seesaw 16-8 triumph over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. The 28-year-old has bounced around in the major leagues a bit since a promising 2019 campaign with the Cleveland Guardians, but Mercado's first start in a Cardinals uniform couldn't have gone much better. The right-hander should maintain some form of platoon role with lefty batters Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan only while the club is so banged up, that is. Even so, Mercado is slashing just .205/.262/.336 in 425 at-bats since 2020. Leave him on fantasy waivers outside of the deepest of settings.
In a strange, cyclical turn of events, outfielder Oscar Mercado is a member of the Cleveland Guardians once again. The Guardians claimed him off waivers on Sunday after the Philadelphia Phillies designated him for assignment. The Phillies had previously acquired Mercado after the Guardians designated him for assignment about two weeks back. Mercado appeared in just one game for the Phillies prior to being DFA'd. The 27-year-old will likely be a reserve outfielder for the Guardians once again. During his first stint with the Guardians this year, he slashed .202/.227/.377 over 49 games.
The Cleveland Guardians designated outfielder Oscar Mercado for assignment on Tuesday. The move was made to clear space for fellow outfielder Franmil Reyes (hamstring), who is being activated from the injured list on Tuesday. Mercado had been in the midst of a rough season offensively. Over 49 games, he slashed .202/.227/.377 with four home runs, 16 RBI and 17 runs. He managed just two stolen bases on four attempts. Mercado flashed a ton of promise as a rookie in 2019, when he compiled 15 homers and 15 steals over 115 games while batting .269, but he's struggled to find consistency at the plate since then.
Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Texas Rangers. It was a solid night for Mercado who is hitting just .233 with 26 base hits in August. He is not currently fantasy-relevant despite the solid output Wednesday and should remain on the waiver wire.
Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado went 4-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Wednesday night's 8-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. It was a solid night for Mercado who has been underwhelming on the season as noted by his .250/.318/.400 slash line. That being said, he has warmed up a bit in the past week by posting a .778 OPS across his previous 24 at-bats. He should continue to remain on the waiver wire until he can perform consistently or until he starts adding a stolen base element to his game.
Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado isn't in the team's starting lineup on Saturday as they take on right-hander Drew Rasmussen and the Tampa Bay Rays. Mercado is hitting .240 with a .296 on-base percentage, a home run, and two stolen bases in 54 plate appearances this season. Cleveland is instead going with Harold Ramirez, Bradley Zimmer, and Daniel Johnson in the outfield from left to right. Ramirez is batting sixth, with Johnson hitting seventh. Zimmer is batting ninth. Johnson is in the lineup on Saturday after starting Friday's game on the bench. He later hit a pinch-hit home run. That being said, if you're looking for streaming help in the outfield, you're probably better off looking elsewhere. Johnson is batting .222 with a .243 on-base percentage in 37 plate appearances this season. The home run on Friday was his second of the campaign.
The Cleveland Indians have recalled outfielder Oscar Mercado from Triple-A Columbus, according to Indians beat writer Mandy Bell. Mercado has been recalled to take the spot ofJosh Naylor, who suffered a fractured leg and dislocated ankle on Sunday. Mercado was hitting .216 with five home runs, 23 RBI and nine stolen bases before being called up. He could provide fantasy managers with some stolen base production, but he's only worth considering in deep mixed and AL-only leagues at this time.
Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado has been doing well thus far at the Indians alternate training site. He has played in two games and is 3-for-7 with two home runs, a double, and six RBI. Mercado was supposed to be the Indians' starting center fielder on Opening Day, but when he did not perform well during spring training, the Indians chose to give him more reps at the alternate training site. It is great to see he is performing well and the Indians hope that he will again be able to reclaim the center fielder position as they have been platooning Ben Gamel and Jordan Luplow to begin the season. If Mercado is recalled and gets regular playing time, he could provide value in the speed, runs, and power (minimally), departments.
Oscar Mercado
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Padres
