The Brewers have sent Jonathan Davis outright to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. There had not been any public indication that Davis had been designated for assignment but the club evidently quietly slipped him through waivers in recent days.
Davis, 30, was originally drafted by the Blue Jays in 2013 and stayed in that organization through August of 2021, before going to the Yankees on a waiver claim. He made his MLB debut in 2018 and spent the next few years oscillating between the minors and the majors, getting into 134 total games by the end of 2021. Davis has got the life of a speedy outfielder with strong defense but never provided much with the bat in the big leagues. He went from the Jays to the Yankees on a waiver claim before being outrighted, electing free agency and signing a minor league deal with the Brewers for 2022.
He was selected to Milwaukee’s 40-man roster in June and got into 37 games this year. He stole seven bases and was worth four Outs Above Average in center field in that short time, but hit just .224/.344/.237 for a wRC+ of 77. That’s a bit better than his career line of .185/.291/.245 but still below league-average.
Davis was placed on the injured list in late August due to a right elbow effusion and began a rehab assignment on September 9. It seems the club didn’t want Davis to retake his roster spot and outrighted him rather than putting him back in the majors. As a player who has previously been outrighted in his career, Davis can reject the assignment and elect free agency. It’s not clear if he has done so, though even if he accepts, he would have that right again at the end of the season.
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