Blake DeWitt was designated for assignment last week and predictably no team was willing to claim his $1.1 million contract off waivers, so he’ll remain with the Cubs while being removed from the 40-man roster.
DeWitt technically had the right to reject his assignment to the minors, but doing so would have meant forfeiting his $1.1 million salary and ... well, that was never going to happen.
No longer being on the 40-man roster will make it more difficult for DeWitt to be called back up to the majors, as the Cubs would have to first clear a roster spot for him by potentially losing someone else.
However, in January the team willingly signed him to that one-year, $1.1 million deal to avoid arbitration and the 26-year-old infielder is certainly an MLB-caliber player, hitting .260 with a decent .714 OPS in 404 games. Expect to see him back in the majors before long, although perhaps not with the Cubs.