Veteran outfielder Austin Slater has opted out of his minor league contract with the Rays, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. It seems Tampa Bay didn’t have any immediate plans to bring him to the majors, so he’ll look to latch on with a contender ahead of the Sept. 1 deadline for postseason eligibility.
Slater, 33, has taken 65 big league plate appearances between three clubs this winter, slashing a combined .231/.311/.277 with the Rays, Marlins and Mets. That makes three consecutive seasons of offensive struggles in limited/part-time roles; dating back to 2024, Slater has batted just .215/.301/.308 in 446 plate appearances.
While that’s a tough stretch to market to other clubs, Slater has torn apart Triple-A pitching this season. He’s taken 150 plate appearances with the Rays’ top affiliate in Durham and posted a huge .305/.407/.453 batting line, walking at nearly a 15% clip and fanning in just under one quarter of his trips to the batter’s box. Slater didn’t hit lefties or righties well in this season’s tiny sample at the major league level, but in 1087 career plate appearances versus southpaws, the righty-swinging Slater owns a .263/.353/.420 line (115 wRC+).
Slater has experience at all three outfield spots, first base and (very briefly) second and third base. At this stage of his career, however, the well-traveled veteran is almost exclusively a corner outfielder/first baseman and an emergency option in center or at a different infield position.
The Blue Jays, Pirates, Mariners, Guardians and Phillies are among the clubs that have struggled against lefties all season. Pittsburgh, Seattle and Toronto have had particular struggles versus southpaws in the weeks since the 2026 trade deadline.
Slater’s struggles in recent major league seasons will probably make a major league deal tough to come by, although rosters will expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1. If he signs a minor league deal prior to that, Slater could be selected to the majors at some point next month to claim a spot on an expanded bench.
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