Infielder Andre Lipcius has been sent down to Triple-A Oklahoma City by the Dodgers, as reported on MLB.com’s transactions tracker. This indicates that he cleared waivers after being removed from the active roster last week. He will continue to be part of the Dodgers’ organization as a non-roster player for added depth.
Lipcius, who will turn 26 in May, was acquired by the Dodgers just three weeks ago through a cash transaction. He was originally drafted by the Tigers and had been with their system until he was designated for assignment when Buddy Kennedy was claimed by the club last month, leading to Lipcius’ trade to the Dodgers.
Primarily known for his hitting ability rather than power, Lipcius has shown versatility by playing multiple positions on the field. Over the past three years in the minors, he has accumulated 1,487 plate appearances, hitting 36 home runs. However, he has displayed good discipline at the plate with a 13% walk rate and a low strikeout rate of 17.9%.
His batting line of .264/.360/.419 during this period indicates he has been 10% better than the league average, according to wRC+. He has played various infield positions besides shortstop and also manned the outfield corners. Additionally, Lipcius has had a brief stint in the majors, appearing in 13 games for the Tigers last year, where he batted .286/.342/.400 over 38 plate appearances.
Despite his potential, Lipcius found himself squeezed out of both the Detroit and Los Angeles rosters due to roster constraints. Despite this, no team claimed him off waivers during this period, suggesting that clubs are facing similar roster challenges at the end of spring training.
Players with three years of service time or prior outright assignments have the option to reject further outright assignments and opt for free agency. However, as Lipcius has only a few weeks of service time and this is his first outright assignment, he does not qualify for this option. Therefore, he is obliged to report to Oklahoma City and endeavor to earn his way back to the majors from there.
