Smolinski is nearing agreement on a contract with the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization, Sung Min Kim of The Athletic reports.
Smolinski will be released from his minor-league contract with the Rays once his deal with the Korean club is finalized. The outfielder appeared in 67 games for the Rays' Triple-A affiliate in Durham this season, slashing. 270/.360/.504 with 12 home runs and nine steals.
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Rays' Jake Smolinski: Sent to minors camp
Rotowire
Smolinski was reassigned to minor-league camp Friday.
Smolinski came up short in his bid for an Opening Day roster spot after struggling to a .211/.250/.421 line through 18 spring games. The 30-year-old will open the season in the minors, though he could earn a promotion should injuries strike the big club.
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Rays' Jake Smolinski: Solid spring continues
Rotowire
Smolinski is now hitting .286 (8-for-28) this spring after going 1-for-4 with an RBI double and a run in a 7-3 split-squad win over the Tigers on Friday.
The veteran outfielder's exhibition resume includes two doubles, a pair of home runs and four RBI. Smolinski has made a solid case for himself with his opportunity as a non-roster invitee to camp, but he still faces an uphill battle for an Opening Day spot in a crowded Rays outfield. The 30-year-old could certainly serve as organizational depth to open the season in Triple-A Durham, however, and would give the team a quality callup option in the event of an injury.
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Rays' Jake Smolinski: Inks minor-league deal with Rays
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Smolinski signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Smolinksi spent the past three and a half seasons in Oakland, hitting a combined .227/.287/.357 across 175 games with the A's before being outrighted off the roster in October. The 29-year-old will likely get an invitation to spring training, though he figures to serve as organizational outfield depth for the Rays in 2019.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Activated from DL and outrighted
Rotowire
Smolinski (calf) was activated from the 60-day disabled list and outrighted to Triple-A Nashville on Monday.
Smolinski missed the final two months of the 2018 season due to a blood clot in his left calf. When healthy, the outfielder struggled to a .128/.171/.205 slash line across 19 games with the Athletics. The move frees up space on the team's 40-man roster for prospects in need of protection from the upcoming Rule 5 draft.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Headed back to Oakland
Rotowire
The Athletics recalled Smolinski from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.
Since being dropped from the Athletics' active roster in mid-May, Smolinski has caught fire at the plate for Nashville, posting a .931 OPS over 21 games. With Matt Joyce (back) on the disabled list, Smolinski will give the Athletics a fresh body on the outfield, but he'll likely struggle to find consistent at-bats.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Smacks pair of solo homers for Nashville
Rotowire
Smolinski went 3-for-3 with two solo home runs in Triple-A Nashville's win over Round Rock on Thursday.
The 29-year-old had been struggling after a hot start with the Sounds earlier in May, but he snapped out of his slump Thursday by closing out the month with a flourish. While his average sits at a mediocre .245, Smolinski sports an impressive .531 slugging percentage thanks in large part to his six extra-base hits (two doubles, four home runs) across 13 games. The veteran could find himself back up with the Athletics at some point this season if injuries strike the outfield at the big-league level.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Successful at plate since demotion
Rotowire
Smolinski is 5-for-9 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI and two runs over the last two games for Triple-A Nashville.
Smolinski was demoted to the Sounds last Wednesday after Trevor Cahill (elbow) was activated from the disabled list, and he went hitless over four at-bats in his first game Thursday. However, he caught fire in a victory Friday over Oklahoma City, going 4-for-5 with a pair of two-baggers. He then accounted for all of Nashville's scoring in a loss Saturday, launching a seventh-inning, two-run home run. Smolinski could certainly find himself back with the big-league club at some point this season, but his initial 2018 Athletics tenure was utterly forgettable (.118/.167/.206 over 36 plate appearances).
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Smolinski was sent down to Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday.
In a corresponding move, the Athletics activated Trevor Cahill (elbow) from the 10-day DL prior to Wednesday's contest in Boston. Over 16 games this season, Smolinski was hitting just .118/.167/.206 with two extra-base hits and two RBI in 34 at-bats. The 29-year-old will head to Nashville and receive everyday at-bats.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Candidate for demotion
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Smolinski could be sent down to Triple-A Nashville upon Stephen Piscotty's Tuesday return from bereavement leave, Susan Slusser of SFGate.com reports.
Smolinski has been on the roster since Opening Day due to the team wanting a strong reserve defensive presence in center field. However, Mark Canha has proven capable of handling the job while also posting a solid .283/.340/.533 line. Conversely, Smolinski has limped to a .118/.167/.206 tally over 36 plate appearances and has only a pair of extra-base hits (one double, one triple).
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Laces RBI triple in Monday's win
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Smolinski went 1-for-2 with a two-run triple and a run in a win over the Rangers on Monday.
Smolinski added to the Athletics' offensive barrage in the top of the ninth with his first three-bagger of the season, plating Matt Olson and Mark Canha. The reserve outfielder has both of his extra-base hits in the last two games as well, but his average remains an unsightly .125 over his first 26 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Out of lineup again Monday
Rotowire
Smolinski is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
For the third consecutive game, Smolinksi has been omitted from Oakland's starting lineup. Since the start of the season he's gone just 1-for-19 (.053) and struck out seven times over 10 games. Mark Canha will start in center field and hit seventh with Smolinski on the bench.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Not in Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Smolinski is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Mariners.
Smolinski normally would have drawn the start with a right-handed pitcher on the mound for the opposing Mariners, but instead Mark Canha will draw the start in center field. The 29-year-old outfielder is slumping significantly to begin the season, with only one base knock in 19 at-bats, striking out seven times.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Out of Saturday's lineup
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Smolinski is out of Saturday's lineup against the Mariners, Julian McWilliams of The Athletic Bay Area reports.
Southpaw Marco Gonzales is starting for the Mariners, so recent acquisition Trayce Thompson, who is right-handed, gets the start in center field and will hit ninth. Smolinski should continue to lose starts against left-handed pitching going forward and could eventually lose out on almost all of his playing time when prospect Dustin Fowler gets promoted.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: One hit in loss
Rotowire
Smolinski went 1-for-2 in Thursday's loss to the Rangers.
The 29-year-old was pinch hit for in the sixth, as Matt Joyce came off the pine and hit a sac fly to deliver the A's third run of the game. Smolinski has been spelling Boog Powell in center, and he has one hit and two strikeouts in seven at-bats so far this season. Top prospect Dustin Fowler can be expected to eat into his plate appearances once being called up from Triple-A, but the recent addition of Trayce Thompson could also expedite Smolinski's removal from the platoon.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Knocks in run Monday
Rotowire
Smolinski entered Monday's 6-5 Cactus League loss to the Giants as a pinch runner in the fifth inning and went 1-for-2 with an RBI single.
The outfielder's sixth-inning hit knotted the game at 5-5 and extended what has been an impressive spring thus far. Factoring in Monday's production, Smolinski is hitting .333 with three home runs and nine RBI over 25 plate appearances across 11 exhibitions, putting him squarely in the conversation for a reserve outfielder along with the likes of Mark Canha and Boog Powell.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
Smolinski avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $775,000 deal with the Athletics on Monday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.
Smolinski has spent parts of the past three seasons in Oakland, posting a combined .236/.297/.371 line while hitting 12 homers in 466 plate appearances for the A's. While he's struggled quite a bit against right-handed pitching through his first four major-league seasons, the 28-year-old has hit a respectable .299/.371/.501 against southpaws, lining him up as a possible platoon partner with Matt Joyce in the outfield. As of now, he appears to have a good chance at opening next season as Oakland's fourth outfielder, though that could easily change depending on the team's other offseason moves. Smolinski appeared in just 16 games last season, as he was recovering from preseason shoulder surgery.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Draws third straight start Tuesday
Rotowire
Smolinski went 1-for-3 in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Mariners.
Smolinski is seeing some playing time at the tail end of the season after missing the majority of the campaign with a shoulder injury. The 28-year-old reserve has hit safely in two of his last three games after going 1-for-5 in pinch-hit appearances following his activation from the disabled list at the beginning of September.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Walks, scores in first rehab game
Rotowire
Smolinski (shoulder) went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run in High-A Stockton's win over Visalia on Saturday.
Smolinski hit second and operated as the designated hitter, as he's not yet been deemed ready to test his shoulder in the outfield. The 28-year-old isn't expected to be ready for big-league action until September, so he should see an extended rehab stint at various minor-league levels throughout the balance of August.
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Athletics' Jake Smolinski: Extends throwing program
Rotowire
Smolinski (shoulder) made 20 throws from 75 feet Sunday, Alex Simon of MLB.com reports.
The outfielder continues to make solid progress, with Sunday's throwing session getting him one step closer to a rehab assignment. That step is currently projected to come in at some point in August, when Smolinski will get some at-bats as a designated hitter at a minor-league affiliate to be determined.
