Tommy

Manzella

He was cleared to make room for Jarrod Parker on the 40-man roster. Manzella was just claimed off waivers from the Astros last month. The 28-year-old shortstop batted just .232 with a .666 OPS over 485 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this season.

Manzella will provide some extra depth at the shortstop position now that Alex Gonzalez (knee) is done for the season. The 29-year-old hit just .225 with a .531 OPS in 83 games with the Astros in 2010 and spent all of last season in the minors. We’re not expecting much.

Manzella has now been with three different organizations this calendar year. The 29-year-old right-hander is a .224/.266/.262 career hitter in the major leagues.

Manzella successfully passed through waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. The 28-year-old batted just .232 with a .666 OPS over 485 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this season.

He’s been given an invitation to spring training. Manzella batted just .221/.294/.268 at three different stops in the minors in 2012. He’s unlikely to win an Opening Day roster spot.

Manzella was released by the Blue Jays recently after hitting .265/.320/.338 with five doubles and 10 RBI in 75 plate appearances in Double-A. The 30-year-old will function as organizational depth.

The deal does not include an invitation to spring training. The 30-year-old shortstop hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since he was a member of the Astros in 2010. He’ll serve as nothing more than organizational depth for the D’Backs.

The slick-fielding Manzella is batting .304/.353/.370 in 46 at-bats. He finished at .264/.324/.339 between Single-A Salem and Double-A Corpus Christi last season, though he was better after moving up the level. At his point, he looks like a lesser version of Adam Everett both offensively and defensively. That’s not a knock on his glove -- Everett is the best in the majors -- but he will have to do more with the bat if he’s going to make it.

There are no specifics on how much playing time Manzella could take away from Tejada, but fantasy owners shouldn’t be surprised to see the veteran lose some at-bats this month. Manzella hit .289 with nine homers and 56 RBI at Triple-A and could open 2010 as the starting shortstop in Houston.

He batted .289 with nine home runs and 56 RBIs in 133 games at Round Rock. Manzella is a great defensive shortstop who could be auditioning for the full-time shortstop job in 2010 if Miguel Tejada is not brought back.