On Monday, the Cardinals made significant roster changes by designating first baseman/outfielder Alfonso Rivas for assignment. His place on the 40-man roster will be filled by right-handed pitcher Ryan Loutos, whose promotion to the MLB roster was confirmed by the club. Meanwhile, right-hander Chris Roycroft was optioned to Triple-A Memphis to accommodate Loutos on the active roster.
Rivas was acquired off waivers from the Angels in January. Despite displaying his usual discerning eye at the plate in Memphis this season with a solid 12.8% walk rate, his performance in terms of average and power has been below his typical standards. Overall, he holds a batting line of just .246/.364/.323 in 158 plate appearances with the Redbirds.
Having made brief appearances in the majors annually from 2021-23 with the Cubs, Pirates, and Padres, Rivas maintains a career batting line of .243/.324/.349 in 459 big league plate appearances.
While his current output in Memphis may be modest, Rivas entered the season with an impressive lifetime batting line of .313/.424/.492 across four Triple-A seasons. His ability to draw walks in nearly 15% of his plate appearances over five Triple-A campaigns, coupled with his status as more of a gap hitter than a pure slugger, has made him a productive presence there, except for this season.
Although primarily a first baseman in the minors, Rivas possesses some experience as a corner outfielder. He is in the final year of his three minor league option seasons and remains two seasons away from arbitration eligibility. A team seeking a left-handed batter with solid on-base skills might consider him. Despite being designated for assignment three times previously in his career, Rivas has always been claimed off waivers by MLB clubs, indicating interest in his batting potential, even if he has yet to fully capitalize on it in the majors.
The Cardinals now have a week to trade Rivas or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. If he clears waivers, they can retain him in the organization without needing a spot on the 40-man roster. Since Rivas lacks the MLB service time or prior outright assignments needed to refuse an outright assignment to the minors after clearing waivers, his fate will be determined by this process.
