Dustin

Fowler

Fowler was officially released by the Pirates last week. The former top prospect appeared in 18 games at the big league level this season, slashing just .171/.239/.195 with no homers, two RBI and a 20/3 K/BB ratio over 46 plate appearances.

Fowler was designated for assignment back in April. The outfielder was once a top prospect, but has struggled since a knee injury suffered as a member of the Athletics.

Fowler was designated for assignment by the Bucs last week and passed through waivers unclaimed. The 26-year-old outfielder had batted just .171/.239/.195 through 46 plate appearances this season.

Fowler saw quite a bit of action out of the gate this season with Pittsburgh, but he heads to the waiver wire having batted just .171/.239/.195 with one extra-base hit and 20 strikeouts in 46 plate appearances.

It seems like good news for Fowler that Anthony Alford was designated for assignment this morning, but the Tigers could still just turn to Bryan Reynolds in center if Fowler continues to struggle so mightily. He’s at .179/.250/.205 with 19 strikeouts in 44 plate appearances.

Fowler draws the start in place of Anthony Alford, who got the nod on Opening Day earlier this week. The 26-year-old former top prospect made his Pirates debut as a pinch-hitter on Friday, recording a single and a stolen base in the fourth inning. He’s expected to figure prominently into their outfield rotation and is worthy of a speculative roster spot for fantasy managers in NL-only formats.

Fowler will lead-off and serve as the Pirates’ designated hitter in his spring training debut, facing the organization that drafted him as an 18th-round selection back in 2013. The 26-year-old former top prospect was acquired from the Athletics for cash considerations, after being designated for assignment last month. He’s competing for a spot on the Pirates’ Opening Day roster as a reserve outfielder and could have some fantasy relevance in NL-only formats this season.

The deal was first reported earlier Wednesday by Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic and has now been made official. Fowler has fallen off the radar since being a top-100 prospect, but he’s still just 26 and is under team control for several years. He will compete for a starting job in the Pirates’ outfield and has some deep league appeal should he win a job.

Fowler had been designated for assignment by the A’s earlier this week. The 26-year-old is a worthy roll of the dice for a Pirates club with razor-thin outfield depth, as Fowler is a former top-100 prospect and is still pretty young. He batted .277/.333/.477 with 25 home runs and 12 stolen bases at the Triple-A level in 2019, although he did play at a launching pad of a home park in Las Vegas. Still, Fowler might actually have a shot to take on some deep league fantasy relevance.

The move clears a spot for Trevor Rosenthal on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old Fowler was once a highly-regarded prospect, but he hasn’t played in the majors since the 2018 season.