Former All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson’s fall from grace reached a new low Tuesday.
According to SportsGrid’s Craig Mish, the Miami Marlins designated Anderson for assignment.
The 31-year-old was hitting a paltry .214 this season with a .463 OPS, racking up only three extra-base hits and nine RBIs in 234 at-bats.
Anderson’s 30 OPS+ was the lowest in baseball among players with 200 or more plate appearances this season, with the Braves’ Adam Duvall second-worst at a distant 51.
Anderson signed a one-year, $5 million deal with Miami in late February after Spring Training had already started.
The former White Sox star was an All-Star in 2021 and 2022 and claimed the batting title in 2019, hitting .335.
From 2019-22, Anderson accrued 13.4 wins above replacement (WAR), which ranked seventh among MLB shortstops, per FanGraphs.
However, in the two years since, Anderson has been responsible for a horrific -1.1 WAR, tied for the lowest among qualified MLB shortstops in that span.
Anderson’s season represents a microcosm of the Marlins’ disastrous 2024 campaign.
The team has gone 30-54 in manager Skip Schumaker’s second season, good for the second-worst record in the National League.
In addition to fielding an offense that’s last in on-base percentage and tied for worst in weighted runs created plus, injuries to top pitchers — notably Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez and Jesus Luzardo — have offered little relief.
With no immediate path to contending, the Marlins are expected to be among baseball’s biggest sellers before the July 30 trade deadline.
Miami’s top options include reliever Tanner Scott, infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisolm Jr., first baseman Josh Bell and outfielder Bryan De La Cruz.
The wild card option will be Luzardo, who reportedly is expected to miss four to six weeks with a lumbar stress reaction that happened on June 22.
Anderson now faces a crossroads in his once-storied MLB career, in search of a flier from a team needing infield help but at a minimal price.
