LaMonte Wade Jr. was one of the cooler stories in baseball in recent seasons.
A journeyman for a long time, the lefty-swinging first baseman had broken through as a key contributor for the San Francisco Giants.
But this season, his bat cooled way off.
And on Wednesday, Wade was designated for assignment by the Giants, removing him from the 40-man roster.
San Francisco replaced him by signing Dominic Smith, the former Mets top prospect who most recently was in Triple-A in the Yankees system.
Wade, 31, slugged 18 homers in 2021 in his first season with the Giants. Then in 2023, he hit 17 HRs and batted .256.
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Last year as he battled injuries, Wade hit .260 with a .761 OPS.
But this season, Wade was down to .167 with a .546 OPS and just one home run. His WAR was sitting at negative-1.1 at the time of his DFA.
Wade could be claimed off waivers, or he’ll have the eventual choice of accepting an assignment to Triple-A or opting for outright free agency.
He’ll likely get another MLB chance, but his time with the Giants hasn’t ended well. He’ll probably have to prove to someone that his bat isn’t done yet.
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