The Cardinals signed Mercado to a minor-league contract Friday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Mercado will return to the team that drafted him back in 2013. The outfielder spent time with the Guardians and Phillies in 2022, producing a disappointing .207 average with four homers, 16 RBI, 17 runs and two stolen bases in 121 at-bats over 55 games.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Stays in Cleveland organization
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Mercado cleared waivers Thursday and will report to Triple-A Columbus, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
For the second time this season, Cleveland designated Mercado for assignment Monday, and he went unclaimed off waivers this time around and will stick around in the organization. The 27-year-old has struggled to a .207 batting average with four homers, 16 RBI, 17 runs and two stolen bases over 121 at-bats in 55 games between the Guardians and Phillies this season.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Loses 40-man spot
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The Guardians designated Mercado for assignment Monday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
For the second time in less than a month, Cleveland will move Mercado off its 40-man roster. The transaction clears a spot for Alex Call, who will replace Mercado as a right-handed-hitting option in the outfield. During his latest stint with Cleveland, Mercado appeared in five games and went 2-for-6 with a pair of walks.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Returns to Cleveland
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The Guardians claimed Mercado off waivers from the Phillies on Sunday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Cleveland booted Mercado from its 40-man roster June 21, with Philadelphia electing to put in a waiver claim for the 27-year-old. His stint with the Phillies lasted less than week, however, as he was designated for assignment once again Friday. The Guardians had a need for an extra outfielder with Oscar Gonzalez (intercostal) landing on the IL on Saturday, so Mercado will rejoin the organization to help restore some depth. He'll be formally added to the 26-man active roster ahead of Monday's series opener in Detroit.
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Phillies' Oscar Mercado: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Mercado was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Friday.
Mercado was DFA'd by the Guardians on June 21 before he was claimed off waivers by the Phillies. He will now once again be available to be claimed by other teams after he was DFA'd again Friday. Mercado struck out in his only at-bat with Philadelphia after being claimed. He will now either report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley or be released outright if he goes unclaimed.
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Phillies' Oscar Mercado: Claimed by Philies
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Mercado was claimed off waivers by the Phillies on Monday.
The Phillies have plenty of starts available in the outfield for the foreseeable future, as Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber look set to regularly fill the designated hitter spot with Bryce Harper out with a fractured thumb. Just how many of those starts Mercado is able to claim remains to be seen. He's shown flashes over parts of four major-league seasons but owns a .235/.287/.388 career slash line across 272 games. He'll be competing with other uninspiring options like Odubel Herrera, Matt Vierling and Mickey Moniak, however, so a hot stretch could certainly earn him regular at-bats.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Pushed off 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Guardians designated Mercado for assignment Tuesday.
Mercado lost his spot on the 40-man roster with the Guardians needing to open up a spot for designated hitter Franmil Reyes (hamstring), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. The move isn't overly surprising, considering Mercado had fallen behind all of Steven Kwan, Myles Straw, Oscar Gonzalez and Richie Palacios in the pecking order in the outfield after producing a weak .202/.227/.377 slash line across his 119 plate appearances in the majors this season. If Mercado isn't traded or claimed off waivers, he'll stick in the organization and report to Triple-A Columbus.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Solid in Tuesday's twin bill
Rotowire
Mercado went 2-for-2 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's doubleheader versus the Rangers.
Mercado entered Game 1 as a pinch runner, notching a steal and a run. He got the start in left field for the nightcap, posting a productive line before he was pinch hit for in the seventh inning. The outfielder has seen a reduced role lately, in part due to a lackluster season slash line of .206/.234/.392 through 107 plate appearances. He's added four home runs, 15 RBI, 14 runs scored and two stolen bases, but the righty-hitting Mercado's only getting starts against left-handed pitchers while Steven Kwan and Oscar Gonzalez start regularly in the corner outfield spots versus righties.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Swipes first bag of campaign
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Mercado went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in a 3-2 win over the Twins on Saturday.
Mercado's lone hit of the contest was a single in the seventh inning, and he followed the base knock by swiping second base. The theft was his first of the campaign after he failed on his first two attempts. Mercado swiped 15 bags in his rookie 2019 season and notched as many as 50 thefts in the minors, but he'll need to reach base more often to make use of his speed. Through Saturday, he has a meager .235 on-base percentage.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Productive in win
Rotowire
Mercado went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, an additional run scored and three strikeouts in Friday's 12-8 loss to the Twins.
Mercado's playing time has cratered since Amed Rosario was made the Guardians' primary left fielder, which bumped Steven Kwan to right field. The ripple effects of Josh Naylor (illness) going on the COVID-19 injured list allowed Mercado to start in right field Friday, and he did fairly well with the opportunity. The 27-year-old owns a .205/.234/.452 slash line with four homers, 15 RBI, nine runs scored, four doubles and a triple through 77 plate appearances. When the Guardians are fully healthy, Mercado projects as a fourth outfielder.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Back on bench Sunday
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Mercado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.
Mercado will sit for the fourth time in seven games and looks to have moved into a part-time role following Owen Miller's recent return from a stint on the COVID-19 injured list as well as Steven Kwan's return from a five-game absence due to a hamstring Injury. Though he made an early fantasy splash by supplying three home runs, a triple, a double and nine RBI through the Guardians' first six games, Mercado has produced only three extra-base hits -- all doubles -- and two RBI since that time.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Solid in doubleheader
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Mercado went 3-for-7 with two RBI and a run scored across both games in Wednesday's doubleheader versus the White Sox.
Considering Mercado went just 1-for-7 during last weekend's series versus the Giants, this was an encouraging pair of games. The 27-year-old started in right field and batted eighth in both contests. For the season, he's slashing .188/.188/.563 with three home runs, nine RBI and four runs scored through nine contests. The Guardians' current COVID-19 outbreak should keep him in a regular role if he avoids getting sick, but Mercado will likely be a part-time player once everyone's healthy.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Not yet affected by Naylor's return
Rotowire
Mercado will start in right field and bat eighth in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the White Sox, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Though Josh Naylor returned from the 10-day injured list Friday to further crowd the Guardians' outfield ranks, Mercado thus far hasn't been too affected from a playing-time standpoint. Mercado has now started at either corner-outfield spot in three of the Guardians' four games since Naylor's return. At the very least, Mercado seems well positioned to hold down a short-side platoon role, and he could continue to see time against right-handed pitching if he maintains his power production. Mercado is getting on base at a weak .188 clip this season, but five of his six hits on the campaign have gone for extra bases.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Swats another homer
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Mercado went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Monday's 10-7 win over Kansas City.
Mercado launched a grand slam Sunday and followed it up with a two-run shot in the fourth inning Monday. He added another RBI on a ninth-inning groundout. The 27-year-old is 3-for-16 with three extra-base hits and eight RBI on the year.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Belts grand slam Sunday
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Mercado went 2-for-6 with a grand slam, a triple and five total RBI in Sunday's win over the Royals.
The Guardians were explosive on offense and Mercado was a big part of that, as he jacked a bomb that cleared the bases in the first as part of a six-run inning. He had gone hitless in the first two games of the season, and in total he's only 2-for-11 so far.
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Guardians' Oscar Mercado: Likely platoon player
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Mercado is 5-for-23 through nine Cactus League games.
Mercado projects as a fourth outfielder for the Guardians, who have noticeable weak spots in the corner outfield spots. Myles Straw is locked in as the starting center fielder, but Mercado may have to settle for splitting time with Josh Naylor and Bradley Zimmer in the corners. As a right-handed hitter, Mercado is likely to feature on the short side of any platoon he ends up in -- he's slashed a paltry .230/.283/.369 against right-handed pitchers in the last three seasons. There's also a chance the 27-year-old could lose playing time if prospect Steven Kwan gets called up to the big leagues this year.
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Indians' Oscar Mercado: Slams game-winning homer
Rotowire
Mercado went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 5-3 win over the White Sox in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader.
Mercado was blanked in his first three plate appearances before hitting a game-winning homer off Jose Ruiz. He is batting just .159 with three long balls in September. On the season, the 26-year-old is slashing .219/.298/.374 with six homers, 17 RBI and 24 runs scored in 208 plate appearances.
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Indians' Oscar Mercado: Goes yard in blowout victory
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Mercado went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk Wednesday against Minnesota.
Mercado broke the game open with his fifth-inning long ball, taking Minnesota starter Griffin Jax deep to left field to give Cleveland a 4-0 lead. Mercado is just 5-for-25 in the month of September, but he's currently riding a modest three-game hit streak.
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Indians' Oscar Mercado: Contributes solo homer
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Mercado went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Twins.
Mercado gave Cleveland a 3-1 lead when he took Minnesota starter Andrew Albers deep in the fourth inning. It was the fourth longball of the year for Mercado, who has put together an .838 OPS over his last 15 games, posting a .364 on-base percentage and three homers during that stretch.
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Indians' Oscar Mercado: Playing time trending down
Rotowire
Mercado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
On the bench for the third time in four games, Mercado may have lost hold of a primary role in the corner outfield to Daniel Johnson. Since receiving a promotion from Triple-A Columbus two months ago, Mercado is slashing a pedestrian .234/.312/.362 with three home runs and five stolen bases.
