Rougned Odor #24 of the San Diego Padres in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 28, 2023, in Bronx, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Venezuelan infielder Rougned Odor signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees on April 5, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported. The minor league deal includes an opt-out after July 1.
The Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan announced on March 26 that Venezuelan infielder Rougned Odor was released from the organization after spring training.
The former major leaguer batted .176 with a .376 OPS, including not recording a hit in 12 games during spring training in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants.
Odor, 30, was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and has played ten seasons in the MLB with the Texas Rangers in 2014-20, the New York Yankees in 2021, the Baltimore Orioles in 2022, and the San Diego Padres in 2023.
According to The Mainichi English Japan News Media Platform, Odor quit the Yomiuri Giants three days before the team’s first game of the 2024 season against the Hanshin Tigers at home at the Tokyo Dome.
Yomiuri Giants Executive Sadaaki Yoshimura told the media,” Odor would not accept being sent down to the farm team. We continued explaining to him in numerous conversations, but his feelings never wavered”.
The left-handed hitter played in the 2023-24 Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional season with the Aguilas del Zulia in 23 games, batting .228 with 94 plate appearances, recording 18 hits, four doubles, one home run, four RBI, 13 walks, and ten strikeouts.
Last season with the Padres, Odor played in 59 games with 157 plate appearances, batting .203 with 28 hits, nine doubles, four home runs, 18 RBI, 17 walks, 37 strikeouts, and a .655 before he was released on July 23, 2023.
In 2022 in Baltimore, Odor played in 135 games with 472 plate appearances, batting .207, smacking 88 hits, 19 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 53 RBI, six stolen bases, 32 walks, 109 strikeouts, and a .632 OPS.
Odor with the Yankees in 2021, played in 102 games, and batted .202 with 361 plate appearances with 65 hits, 12 doubles, 15 home runs, 39 RBI, 27 walks, 100 strikeouts, and a .665 OPS.
During his ten seasons in MLB, Odor played in 1,154 games with a lifetime average of .230 in 1,586 plate appearances, recording 930 hits, 186 doubles, 29 triples, 178 home runs, 568 RBI, 70 stolen bases, 269 walks, 1,045 strikeouts, and a .710 OPS.
In his 13 seasons between the minor leagues, international leagues, and MLB, Odor has played in 1,614 games, batting .246 with 6,387 plate appearances, 1,428 hits, 291 doubles, 48 triples, 219 home runs, 799 RBI, 148 stolen bases, 401 walks, 1,322 strikeouts, and a .730 OPS.
Odor must still be assigned to the 40-man roster for the Yankees or Triple-A Scranton. The Yankees front office will have to evaluate their roster with their infield depth since DJ LeMahieu and Oswaldo Peraza are both on the 10-day injured list.
