After a dismal eight-game stint and a lengthy stint on the injured list, the Arizona Diamondbacks cut ties with the 40-year-old veteran, potentially signaling the end of his career.
The Arizona Diamondbacks released some news that should come as no surprise. Officially, Carlos Santana has been designated for assignment.
The longtime veteran was just 2-for-24 with the Diamondbacks but hasn't appeared in a game since Sunday, April 5.
Fresh off being reinstated from the 60-day Injured List, the team announced they were designating him for assignment.
In other news, they recalled left-handed pitcher Mitch Bratt from Triple-A Reno and optioned LHP Kohl Drake to Triple-A Reno following last night's game.
Carlos Santana Era Was Short Lived
It's hard to say the Diamondbacks gave Santana every possible shot to succeed, but this team doesn't exactly have the best track record with making the correct roster moves.
Santana, 40, was brought to the Diamondbacks for $2 million this offseason. Sure, it was only a one-year deal but overall could be considered one of the team's biggest failures.
Of course, Santana's injury complicated things, but other than that it's impossible to justify giving a guy $2 million when he hasn't done anything of note in the big leagues for quite some time.
Overall, Santana has a career .240 batting average throughout his big-league career that began in 2010. Again, he's 40 years old, so it's not hard to understand why his best days are behind him.
The highlights, if there are any, from the Santana era in Arizona include him picking up a hit in his lone at-bat on Sunday, April 5, which turned out to be his final game. Other than that, he had a double in his second game with the team. Elsewhere, he drew a pair of walks, both of which came in his first four appearances.
Is It Time to Hang it Up?
Santana's MLB career has been lengthy, that's for sure. Most kids could only dream of having a big-league career that spans this long, but ultimately, all good things must come to an end. It's a miracle Santana was able to earn $2 million in 2026, and he's clearly regressing at a rapid rate.
Last year, Santana appeared in 124 games. He sported a .219/.308/.325 slash line which is quite far off from his career slash line of .240/.351/.424.
In just eight games played with the Diamondbacks he had a -0.5 WAR which was the lowest of his career. It may come with a small sample size, but his WAR was just 1.1 last year which was down big-time from the 2.5 it was in 2024. All things considered, Santana's MLB career may have come to an end in a Diamondbacks uniform.
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
