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Melky Cabrera has seemingly been around forever and it sounds like he will be around for a little bit longer.
Coming off a very disappointing 2017 campaign that saw him post a 98 wRC+ and -0.2 fWAR in 156 games for a couple of teams, Melky found himself having to play his way back on to a major league roster. The Indians put him in the minor leagues in the hopes that he would round back into the form that saw him post three 3+ fWAR seasons between 2011-2014. After slashing .286/.286/.381 in ten games in the minor leagues and the major league club looking for answers, Cleveland made the move.
Indians roster move:
— Alyson Footer (@alysonfooter) May 20, 2018
The Indians have called up outfielder Melky Cabrera from Triple-A Columbus and have optioned right-handed reliever Evan Marshall to Triple-A. To make room on the 40-man roster for Cabrera, right-hander Alexi Ogando has been designated for assignment.
Melky comes to a club that is looking to find a way to put some distance between itself and the rest of what looks to be a relatively easy division. While getting production out their position players hasn’t necessarily been the biggest issue (7.2 fWAR which is good for 7th in the majors), the bulk of that has come from Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez this season. Adding a guy like Melky could give them some more consistent and well-rounded offense assuming he still has something left in the tank.
In his career, Cabrera has slashed .286/.335/.418 in 1676 games and accumulated 15.1 fWAR in his career (despite a -1.4 fWAR season with the Braves in 2010 that more than a few Braves fans are still salty about).