The Tampa Bay Rays officially released veteran outfielder Jake Fraley on Tuesday after he declined a minor-league assignment, ending his second stint with the organization that originally drafted him a decade ago, via the MLB transaction log.
Fraley was designated for assignment Sunday so the club could activate infielder Ben Williamson from the injured list.
After clearing waivers, the 31-year-old used his service-time rights to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham and become a free agent immediately rather than wait until the offseason.
The move was unsurprising given the calendar and Fraley’s limited role.
The Rays are in a late-September playoff push and have received strong seasons from younger outfielders Chandler Simpson and Víctor Mesa Jr. Fraley, who returned from the 60-day injured list only on Sept. 15, went hitless in a handful of at-bats after his activation and was not expected to make a postseason roster.
Tampa Bay signed Fraley to a one-year, $3 million contract last November after claiming him off waivers from Atlanta and then non-tendering him.
The hope was that the left-handed hitter would serve as a platoon option against right-handed pitching. Instead, a sports hernia in May required surgery and cost him most of the season.
He finished the year hitting .216/.289/.364 with two home runs and five RBIs in 31 games and 97 plate appearances.
Fraley has been a major-league regular since his 2019 debut with the Seattle Mariners. Originally selected by the Rays in the second round of the 2016 draft out of LSU, he was traded to Seattle before reaching the big leagues.
He later spent four seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, posted a career-best 15-homer, 21-steal year in 2023, and briefly appeared with the Braves in 2025.
Across more than 1,400 career plate appearances, he has hit .246 with 49 home runs and a .730 OPS, doing most of his damage against right-handers.
The injury-shortened 2026 season will likely affect his market this winter.
Still, clubs looking for a veteran corner outfielder with platoon value and some speed may see a bounce-back candidate if he stays healthy in 2027.
For the Rays, the release simply formalizes a roster decision already made: younger, healthier options have passed him on the depth chart as they chase October baseball.
