Alen

Hanson

The 28-year-old signed a minor league contract with the Mariners in 2020 but did play due to the canceled season. In 2019 Hanson batted .163 over 43 at-bats at the major league level and .187 over 166 at-bats with Triple-A Buffalo.

Hanson was released by the Blue Jays in August. The 27-year-old struggled in the Toronto system in 2019, and hit just .187/.232/.271 with three homers before given his walking papers. Once considered a top prospect while with the Pirates, Hanson offers nothing more than organizational depth at this point in his career, and is a longshot to see time with Seattle in 2020.

The 26-year-old, who came to the Blue Jays from the Giants as part of the Kevin Pillar trade, was hitting just .187/.232/.271 with three homers, 18 RBI and seven stolen bases in 48 games at Triple-A Buffalo. He’s still young enough that he may be able to latch on elsewhere, but with that level of performance he may be running out of chances.

Hanson, acquired from the Giants in the Kevin Pillar deal, cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Friday. The 26-year-old was hitting just .163/.229/.163 over 48 plate appearances. He’ll remain in the organization as minor league depth.

Hanson was acquired from the Giants in early April in the deal that sent Kevin Pillar to the Giants. He struggled in his limited time with the Blue Jays though, hitting just .163/.229/.163 with no homers, four RBI and a 17/3 K/BB ratio in 48 plate appearances. He’s still talented and versatile enough that he could once again attract interest on waivers.

Smoak has been dealing with a neck issue lately and will take a seat against southpaw Chris Sale. Alen Hanson will make the start at first base and bat eighth. Lourdes Gurriel is in the DH spot while Richard Urena plays second base and Rowdy Tellez is on the bench.

Hanson was designated for assignment by the Giants last week after failing to make the Opening Day roster. The 26-year-old owns an underwhelming .653 OPS in the majors, but he has speed and can play the infield and the outfield.

Hanson was told by manager Bruce Bochy that he wouldn’t be making the 25-man roster on Wednesday, so this isn’t a surprise. The former top prospect hasn’t hit at the MLB level, but does offer some roster versatility. If he goes unclaimed he’ll head to Triple-A Sacramento, but it wouldn’t be a huge upset if someone claimed him off waivers to serve as a utility infielder.

He also let newly-acquired backstop Tom Murphy know that he won’t be with San Francisco Opening Day, either. Hanson, 26, became a longhost to make the roster after the Giants signed Yangervis Solarte to be the backup middle infielder. He’s out of options, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if someone claimed him off waivers or a trade is worked out.

Hanson slugged a solo shot -- his second Cactus League long-ball -- off Diamondbacks fireman Archie Bradley in the seventh inning. He’s gotten off to a brutal start, hitting .180 (9-for-50) in 21 games this spring. The 26-year-old possesses an intriguing blend of speed and power, but simply hasn’t put it together consistently enough at the big-league level to make a mixed-league impact. He’s someone to keep on the fantasy radar in extremely deep formats heading into the 2019 campaign.