Cleveland Guardians release Carlos Santana, ending his 3rd tenure with the team

CLEVELAND (AP) — Carlos Santana's third stint with the Cleveland Guardians has come to an end.

The Guardians announced Thursday that they have released the longtime first baseman, making the 39-year-old veteran available on the open market for teams looking to add a veteran bat to their lineup.

Santana signed a one-year deal in December and has appeared in 116 games for Cleveland this season. He hit 11 home runs with 52 RBIs, while logging a .225 batting average, .316 on-base percentage and .333 slugging percentage.

He's played 11 of his 16 seasons with the Guardians, including each of his first eight. He's also played for Kansas City, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Milwaukee.

He won an AL Silver Slugger and was an All-Star in 2019 during his second stint in Cleveland, and earned an AL Gold Glove in 2024 with the Twins.

Santana's days have seemed numbered in the past month as he lost playing time to younger players, including Kyle Manzardo and C.J. Kayfus.

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