Diamondbacks release veteran shortstop

The Diamondbacks announced Friday that they’ve released shortstop Elvis Andrus, who’d been in camp on a minor-league deal. Arizona also optioned first baseman/outfielder Pavin Smith and lefty Andrew Saalfrank to Triple-A Reno. Additionally, non-roster lefty Jose Castillo was reassigned to minor league camp.

Andrus, 35, signed a minor-league pact with the Snakes earlier this month. He made it into six official Cactus League games and went 2-for-17 with a pair of singles, a walk and four strikeouts. The D-backs announced even before signing Andrus that Geraldo Perdomo would be the team’s everyday shortstop to begin the season, meaning Andrus was essentially competing for a bench role. The Diamondbacks will apparently stick with in-house options for that spot, including out-of-options third baseman Emmanuel Rivera and veteran utilityman Jace Peterson.

Andrus spent the 2023 season with the White Sox, who signed him in 2022 after his release by the A’s and re-signed him to a big league deal last winter. The two-time All-Star hit well for the South Siders down the stretch in 2022 — .271/.309/.464 (118 wRC+) — but he couldn’t replicate that output in 2023. Andrus opened last year as Chicago’s primary second baseman but hit just .251/.304/.358 (81 wRC+) in 406 plate appearances.

While he only has three career seasons of average or better offense (by measure of wRC+), Andrus has long been a premium defender and baserunner. He’s no longer the plus-plus defender he was at shortstop early in his career, but Andrus can handle any of shortstop, second base or third base – making him a viable utility option for a team in need of some versatility off the bench. His sprint speed dropped way down to the 30th percentile of MLB players last year, according to per Statcast, but his instincts on the bases still allowed him to swipe a dozen bags in 16 tries.