Elvis Andrus of the Arizona Diamondbacks stands in the dugout during the Spring Training game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 13, 2024 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
The 2023 National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks announced they released veteran shortstop Elvis Andrus on Friday.
Arizona also optioned left-handed pitcher Andrew Saalfrank and outfielder Pavin Smith to Triple-A Reno and left-handed pitcher José Castillo was reassigned to minor league camp.
The #Dbacks have made the following roster moves:
Optioned to Triple-A Reno
LHP Andrew Saalfrank
OF Pavin SmithReassigned to Minor League camp
LHP José CastilloReleased
INF Elvis Andrus32 players remain in camp.
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 22, 2024
Andrus played in six games with Arizona during spring training and, in 17 at-bats, batted .154 with two hits, one walk, and struck out four times. He signed a minor league contract with the Diamondbacks on March 3 and was assigned to Triple-A Reno on March 10.
Andrus, 35, was born in Maracay, Venezuela, and has played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Texas Rangers from 2009-20, the Oakland Athletics from 2021-22, and the Chicago White Sox from 2022-23.
Andrus joined the Baseball United ownership group on April 13, 2023. Baseball United is the first professional baseball league in the Middle East and Indian subcontinent.
Andrus was selected as an All-Star in 2010 and 2012. Last season with the White Sox, he played in 112 games, hitting .251 over 406 plate appearances with 94 hits, 20 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 44 RBI, 12 stolen bases, 25 walks, 71 strikeouts, and a .662 OPS before he elected free agency on November 2, 2023.
He made 63 starts in 2023 at second base for the first time in his career, and played at second base for 499.2 innings with 237 chances, 92 putouts, 139 assists, six errors, 29 double plays, and a fielding percentage of .975.
Andrus signed with the White Sox for $3 million on Feb. 20, 2023, prior to the start of spring training.
In the 2022 season, Andrus started out in Oakland and played in 106 games, batting .237 in 386 plate appearances with 84 hits, 24 doubles, eight home runs, 30 RBI, seven stolen bases, 30 walks, 62 strikeouts, and a .673 OPS before he was released on Aug. 17, 2022.
He then signed with the White Sox as a free agent on Aug. 19, 2022, and played in 43 games, hitting .271 with 49 hits, eight doubles, nine home runs, 28 RBI, 11 stolen bases, nine walks and 30 strikeouts before he elected free agency on Nov. 6, 2022.
In his 15 seasons in MLB, Andrus has 2,091 hits in 2,059 games with a career average of .269 over 8,602 plate appearances, and has 380 doubles, 51 triples, 102 home runs, 775 RBI, 347 stolen bases, 611 walks, 1,206 strikeouts, and a .695 OPS.
Andrus could explore his options to play overseas in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, the Korean Baseball Organization or in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol for the 2024 season if none of the other 29 MLB franchises see a fit for him on their active roster.