Andrew Velazquez - MLB News, Rumors, & Updates

Michael Massey's 2-run, 2-out homer in 8th helps Royals beat Tigers 5-4 for 2nd straight win

Michael Massey hit a go-ahead, two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning and the Kansas City Royals held on to beat the Detroit Tigers 5-4

5 DAYS AGO • Associated Press

Gaining traction in middle infield Velazquez will start at second base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Impact Since he was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday after Bobby Witt (back) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move, Velazquez has started in four of the Royals' ensuing five games. He'll be filling in Sunday at the keystone for Michael Massey, but Velazquez could end up being the preferred option at shortstop over Tyler Tolbert while Witt is on the mend. Velazquez has gone 1-for-9 with a stolen base through his first three contests with Kansas City.

5 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Back in big leagues The Royals selected Velazquez's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday. He'll start at shortstop and bat ninth in the Royals' series finale versus the Giants.

Impact The 32-year-old utility player will return to the majors for the first time since the 2023 season, when he appeared in 54 games with the Angels. Velazquez has played both middle-infield positions and all three outfield spots during his time in the minors with the Royals and Diamondbacks organizations this season, but he could end up seeing most of his playing time at shortstop while he's up with Kansas City. He'll enter the starting nine right away at shortstop in place of Bobby Witt (back), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Along with Velazquez, Tyler Tolbert will also be in the mix for reps at shortstop while Witt is on the shelf.

JULY 22 • ROTOWIRE

Joins Diamondbacks Velazquez signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Impact Velazquez hasn't appeared in a professional game since the regular season began, but he'll get a chance with the Diamondbacks. He'll likely serve primarily as depth for the big-league club.

APRIL 19 • ROTOWIRE

Gets MiLB deal from Rangers The Rangers signed Velazquez to a minor-league contract Dec. 8.

Impact Velazquez spent all of this past season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees organization, slashing .242/.304/.345 with five homers and 25 steals. A career .189/.244/.293 hitter over parts of six big-league seasons, Velazquez will give the Rangers some experienced infield depth at Triple-A Round Rock.

DECEMBER 16, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Signs MiLB deal with Yanks The Yankees signed Velazquez to a minor-league contract Thursday.

Impact New York just released Velazquez from his minors deal earlier this month, but he's returning to the organization and will rejoin Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after slashing .244/.315/.342 with four home runs, 32 RBI, 42 runs scored, 23 stolen bases and a 27:74 BB:K across 311 plate appearances with the team prior to his release.

AUGUST 15, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Sent to minors The Yankees reassigned Velazquez to minor-league camp Saturday.

Impact Velazquez didn't see MLB action in 2024, but he stuck around in big-league camp longer than anticipated and logged 44 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League as he competed for a reserve gig. Ultimately, the Yankees elected to carry fellow non-roster invitee Pablo Reyes on the Opening Day roster as a utility player. Velazquez is expected to report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will likely spend the bulk of the season in the International League.

MARCH 27, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

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MARCH 22, 2025 • Associated Press

Links up with Yanks as NRI The Yankees signed Velazquez to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Impact It's a homecoming of sorts for Velazquez, who grew up in the Bronx and played 28 games for the Yankees in 2021. The 30-year-old utility player is a career .189/.244/.293 hitter over parts of six seasons at the big-league level. He spent all of 2024 at Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta organization, posting a .692 OPS with 16 homers and 33 steals.

JANUARY 3, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Becomes free agent Velazquez elected to become a free agent Friday.

Impact Velazquez heads to the open market after being pushed off Atlanta's 40-man roster earlier this week. The 29-year-old infielder owns a weak .189/.244/.293 career major-league batting line and will likely have to settle for a minor-league contract leading into the 2024 season.

NOVEMBER 3, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sent outright to Triple-A Atlanta outrighted Velazquez to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Impact Velazquez was claimed off waivers from the Angels in early September but was immediately sent to Triple-A Gwinnett and finished out the season there. The 29-year-old journeyman shortstop is a career .189/.244/.293 hitter in 275 games (624 plate appearances) at the major-league level.

NOVEMBER 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Braves add veteran shortstop Andrew Velazquez off waivers Velazquez has played for five teams across six seasons, the past two with the Angels.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023 • AJC.COM

David O'Brien: The Braves claimed infielder Andrew Velazquez... - The Athletic The Braves claimed infielder Andrew Velazquez off waivers from the Angels and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett. To create room on the 40-ma...

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Claimed by Atlanta Atlanta claimed Velazquez off waivers from the Angels on Tuesday and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Impact Velazquez has typically performed well in the upper minors and plays excellent defense at shortstop, but the 29-year-old owns a career .189/.244/.293 batting line in 275 games (624 plate appearances) at the big-league level. He'll function as organizational infield depth down the stretch for the NL East leaders.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Heads back to Triple-A The Angels optioned Velazquez to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Impact Velazquez will head back to the minors after the Angels reinstated Matt Thaiss (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. With the Angels summoning fellow infielders Kyren Paris and Michael Stefanic from the minors Friday as their two September call-ups, the team didn't have much of a need to keep Velazquez on hand as a utility man.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Homers as pinch hitter Velazquez hit a solo home run in his only at-bat in a loss to the Astros on Saturday.

Impact Velazquez batted for Brandon Drury with the game out of hand in the ninth inning and belted his second homer of the year, a solo shot off Hector Neris. The speedster has seen very limited playing time of late -- this was his first plate appearance since July 30 and his first hit since he went 3-for-4 against Detroit on July 25.

AUGUST 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Retreats to bench Velazquez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Impact Zach Neto (back) will draw back in at shortstop Monday after missing seven of the Angels' last eight games, which likely spells an end to Velazquez's brief run as a regular in the lineup. Velazquez will move into a utility role and isn't expected to see frequent starting opportunities while both Neto and Luis Rengifo are available.

JULY 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Tallies three hits in win Velazquez went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-6 victory over Detroit.

Impact Velasquez is now 4-for-7 with a double and a home run in his last two games after going 0-for-11 over his previous 10 contests. It's been a nice run for the 29-year-old utilityman, though he isn't likely to provide much long-term value offensively -- he's now slashing .245/.339/.347 with one homer, one RBI, nine runs scored and nine stolen bases across 57 plate appearances this season. If Zach Neto (back) is forced to miss time, Velasquez should see regular playing time at shortstop.

JULY 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Swats first homer Velazquez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Sunday in a 7-5 victory versus the Pirates.

Impact Velazquez hadn't started a game since before the All-Star break coming into the weekend, but he found his name in the starting lineup for the second straight day Sunday as a result of Zach Neto's back injury. Velazquez made the most of the opportunity, slugging his first homer of the season in the fifth inning. The speedy infielder is still slashing just .200/.308/.289 on the campaign, and with Neto possibly returning to action Tuesday, Velazquez will likely return to a bench role soon.

JULY 24, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Relegated to bench role Velazquez hasn't started a game since prior to the All-Star break, though he's gotten into seven second-half contests as a pinch runner and/or defensive replacement.

Impact Velazquez was starting at shortstop fairly frequently in the week leading up to the break, but that opportunity dried up when Zach Neto returned from the injured list. Velazquez has subsequently served exclusively in a reserve role, primarily as a pinch runner. Though he's seen action in seven games since the start of the second half, he's logged only three plate appearances, going 0-for-2 with a walk. The Angels have been taking advantage of his speed, however, as Velazquez has tallied three stolen bases in three attempts during the seven-game span. Given his career .192/.247/.290 slash line, it's not a surprise that Velazquez hasn't been able to nail down a starting role.

JULY 22, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Brought up from minors The Angels recalled Velazquez from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Impact He'll be joining the Halos as a replacement in the infield for Brandon Drury (shoulder), who was placed on the 10-day injured list. Velazquez started seven games with the Angels earlier this season and was a regular in the middle infield in 2022, but he may be ticketed for a utility role during his upcoming stint in the big leagues. Eduardo Escobar, Luis Rengifo and David Fletcher all look to be ahead of Velazquez in the pecking order for playing time at second base and shortstop while Drury and Zach Neto (shoulder) are on the IL.

JULY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Optioned to Triple-A The Angels optioned Velazquez to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Impact Velazquez is sent down to make room for Anthony Rendon with Rendon activated off the 10-day injured list. In 32 plate appearances with the Angels, Velazquez has registered a .644 OPS with no homers and six stolen bases across 12 games.

JUNE 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Nabs another steal Velazquez entered as a pinch runner in Tuesday's win over the White Sox, logging a stolen base and scoring a run.

Impact Velazquez hasn't gotten a start since Saturday, but he's still making an impact, swiping a bag as a pinch runner twice in the past three days. The shortstop has demonstrated excellent acumen on the basepaths over the past two seasons, collecting 23 thefts on 25 attempts in 135 games. However, he's batting just .198 during that span, which has prevented him from holding onto an everyday role.

JUNE 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Steals base as pinch runner Velazquez notched a stolen base in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Rockies.

Impact Velazquez ran for David Fletcher and swiped a bag in the eighth inning. With Zach Neto (oblique) on the injured list, Velazquez had a chance to pick up regular playing time at shortstop, but it hasn't come to pass, as Fletcher has started the last two games there. Velazquez remains a solid speed threat with five steals this season, but he's batting just .227 (5-for-22) across nine contests, so he'll have to get his bat going to solidify his place in the lineup.

JUNE 25, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sits in second straight Velazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Impact The 28-year-old made seven consecutive starts at shortstop after Zach Neto (oblique) landed on the injured list June 15, but David Fletcher is making his second straight start Sunday after having his contract selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. Fletcher went 4-for-6 with a home run and five RBI in his first big-league game since April on Saturday and might have the upper hand on Velazquez for playing time.

JUNE 25, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

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