Tim

Beckham

Rather than accepting his outright assignment to Triple-A St. Paul, the 32-year-old infielder will explore the open market. The top overall selection from the 2008 draft, Beckham has logged just 25 plate appearances in the big leagues since 2019.

Beckham went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment last week and will remain with the Twins as organizational infield depth. The versatile 32-year-old infielder got into 12 games this season for the Twins and wound up with two hits in 25 at-bats.

Beckham’s return to the majors after three years didn’t go well, as he went just 2-for-25 at the plate. He’ll be able to elect free agency assuming he clears waivers.

With Miguel Sanó and Max Kepler landing on the injured list Saturday, the Twins are calling on the 32-year-old former No. 1 pick. Beckham hasn’t played in the majors since 2019 but was performing well in Triple-A. In 143 plate appearances, the veteran was hitting .413/.483/.579 with five homers and two steals. He will be bench depth for the Twins.

Beckham showed pretty well in limited Grapefruit League action this spring, but he never stood a chance of making the Twins’ roster out of camp once they acquired free agent shortstop Carlos Correa.

Beckham left the contest immediately after an eighth-inning leadoff single. There should be an update on his status shortly.

Beckham also had a walk in three plate appearances as a DH. The former No. 1 overall draft pick hasn’t played in the majors since 2019, but he did perform well in 45 games in Triple-A last year, hitting .379/.330/.545. He’ll be a long shot to make the Twins this spring.

Beckham, the first overall selection by the Rays in the 2008 MLB Draft, was limited to just 45 games last season at Triple-A Charlotte in the White Sox’ organization due to a knee injury. The 32-year-old middle infielder, who last appeared in the majors back in 2019 with the Mariners, holds a pedestrian .249/.302/.431 triple-slash line with 63 home runs and 13 stolen bases across 1,751 plate appearances since 2013.

Beckham has been sidelined while recovering from mild oblique strain this spring. Barring any additional setbacks, the 31-year-old infielder should be ready to go at the outset of the 2021 regular season. He’s in camp on a minor-league deal as a non-roster invitee, and will likely open the year in the minor leagues as organizational depth. He didn’t appear in the major leagues last season.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that the deal will be worth $1.35 million if Beckham makes the major league roster in Chicago. The 30-year-old former No. 1 overall pick of the Rays failed to latch on with a team in 2020 after batting just .237 with a .293 on-base percentage in 328 plate appearances with the Mariners in 2019. He was also hit with an 80-game suspension last August following a positive test for the performance-enhancing drug Stanozolol. It’s unclear at this point how many games (if any) he still needs to serve.