Designated for assignment by the White Sox last week, Lastings Milledge has cleared waivers and accepted and assignment to Triple-A, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
That means he’ll remain in Chicago’s organization, but won’t take up a spot on the 40-man roster and can’t be called up again unless the White Sox add him to the roster first (in which case they’d have to waive him again prior to another trip to Triple-A).
Milledge’s stock has obviously plummeted in recent years, as he’s gone from one-time top prospect to clearing waivers at age age 26, but I’m still somewhat surprised that another team didn’t take a flier on him as a backup outfielder.
He’s a good defender in either corner spot who can fake center field for short stretches at a time, and while his overall offensive game hasn’t developed as hoped Milledge is a career .287 hitter with a .793 OPS versus left-handed pitching. As a fourth outfielder or the right-handed-hitting portion of a platoon, he’s still useful.
