Rondon signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Tuesday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.
Rondon hasn't seen any action in the majors since 2021 but has slugged 17 home runs in the Venezuelan Winter League. The 29-year-old was hit with an 80-game PED ban in April 2022 while he was a free agent and presumably will still have to serve that suspension.
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Jose Rondon: Hit with 80-game ban
Rotowire
Rondon was handed an 80-game suspension Monday after testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Rondon remains a free agent and was probably stuck looking for minor-league opportunities, as he's a career .216/.274/.353 hitter in the majors. It will now be even harder for him to find a deal, as he's set to miss half the season.
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Jose Rondon: Let go by St. Louis
Rotowire
Rondon was non-tendered by the Cardinals on Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Rondon isn't yet arbitration eligible, but the Cardinals still opted to not tender him a contract for 2022. The 27-year-old appeared in 63 games for St. Louis last season and hit .263/.322/.413 with three homers, nine RBI and 13 runs in 90 plate appearances.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Knocks homer Friday
Rotowire
Rondon hit a two-run home run in his lone at-bat during an 8-5 win over the Cubs in the first game of Friday's doubleheader.
The 27-year-old has almost exclusively been limited to a pinch-hitting role over the last month. Rondon's homer Friday was his second of the year. He's added a .271/.333/.400 slash line with seven RBI, 12 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases in 78 plate appearances, but he has no path to regular playing time at this late date in the season.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Singles, scores as pinch hitter
Rotowire
Rondon entered Sunday's loss to the Royals as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-1 with a run.
The sparsely-used utilityman has continued to make occasional appearances in a pinch-hit capacity, with Sunday's marking his fourth overall since the calendar flipped to August. Given his irregular usage, Rondon is a fantasy consideration in only deep formats at the moment, despite a .261 average and .327 on-base percentage.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Slugs pinch-hit homer
Rotowire
Rondon entered Tuesday's loss to the Cubs as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and slugged a solo home run in his only plate appearance.
Rondon hasn't logged a start since June 16, but he continues to make intermittent pinch-hit appearances. He's usually found success difficult to come by in that role, however, as he'd gone hitless over his previous eight plate appearances across nine games.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Comes through as pinch hitter
Rotowire
Rondon entered Tuesday's win over the Marlins as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, recording a single and a stolen base in his only plate appearance.
Rondon's presence proved pivotal to the Cardinals' success, as his steal of second base and advancement to third on a throwing error positioned him to come home with St. Louis' first run of the game in the sixth inning. The versatile utility man is seeing only occasional playing time and does not yet have an extra-base hit through 24 plate appearances, so his fantasy value remains significant capped.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: On base three times in loss
Rotowire
Rondon went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run in a loss to the Reds on Sunday.
Rondon drew his fourth start in his last six games, and he snapped out of a brief 0-for-11 slump with his first multi-hit effort since May 30. The 27-year-old utility man is slashing .222/.333/.222 across 21 plate appearances since being called up from Triple-A Memphis on May 29.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Pair of hits in start
Rotowire
Rondon went 2-for-4 with a run in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Just called up from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday, Rondon drew his first start of 2021 after appearing as in-game replacement the night prior. The 27-year-old started at third base Sunday, and his ability to fill in at both the keystone and hot corner could continue affording him occasional playing time while he remains up with the big-league club.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Call-up on tap
Rotowire
Rondon (not injury related) is slated to be called up by the Cardinals on Saturday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Rondon was placed on the temporary inactive list Friday so he could play in the Olympic qualifiers for Venezuela, but it appears as though he'll join the major-league roster instead. Rondon hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2019 and will likely serve in a depth role after he slashed .235/.301/.482 with six home runs and 19 RBI in 21 games with Triple-A Memphis to begin the year.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Contract officially selected
Rotowire
Rondon's contract was selected by the Cardinals on Saturday.
Rondon will likely serve as a depth option for St. Louis rather than playing in the Olympic qualifiers for Venezuela. Max Moroff (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list as part of the transaction. Rondon appeared in 21 games for Triple-A Memphis to begin the season and slashed .235/.301/.482 with six home runs and 19 RBI.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Away with Olympic team
Rotowire
Rondon landed on the temporary inactive list Friday so that he could play in the Olympic qualifiers for Venezuela, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Rondon isn't on the Cardinals' 40-man roster, but as a Triple-A player with 106 major-league games under his belt he could be one of the first names the team turns to in an injury crisis. He won't be available in that capacity in the near future but could still get into his first MLB game since 2019 at some point this year.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Promotion potentially imminent
Rotowire
Rondon, who's hitting .250 (10-for-4) with two doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI over nine games for Triple-A Memphis, could be promoted if Paul DeJong (side) requires a stint on the injured list, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Rondon last saw regular-season big-league action in 2019 but had his moments in spring training with the Cardinals earlier this year, lacing a pair of triples and a home run on his way to eight RBI over 34 plate appearances. The 27-year-old also has 32 appearances at shortstop at the major-league level, so he could certainly help fill the void if DeJong is sidelined for at least 10 days.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Sent to minors
Rotowire
Rondon was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday.
Rondon made a strong case to make the Cardinals' Opening Day roster by slashing .304/.393/.609 with one home run and eight RBI in 19 spring games, but he should begin the season with Triple-A Memphis. However, he could be one of the top options to serve as depth in the middle infield if injuries occur during the regular season.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Making strong case in spring
Rotowire
Rondon, who drove in three runs with a single and sacrifice fly in a Grapefruit League loss to the Mets on Sunday, hit .308 (4-for-13) with two triples, a home run, six total RBI, two walks and five runs across his first 10 spring games.
The 27-year-old is making an increasingly strong case to stick on the Opening Day roster after signing a minor-league contract with the Cardinals in December. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Rondon was already viewed as having some offensive upside after flashing some solid power at the Triple-A level while with the White Sox organization, and the defensive versatility he's displaying this spring in handling both shortstop and second base with aplomb is certainly helping his bid to possibly vault over Edmundo Sosa for a utility role.
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Cardinals' Jose Rondon: Joining Cardinals camp
Rotowire
Rondon signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Friday. The deal includes an invite to spring training.
Rondon didn't crack the Orioles' big-league roster at any point during the 2020 campaign, though he's appeared in 106 total games at the highest level over parts of three seasons. He hasn't done much in those games to suggest he'll earn a significant role for the Cardinals, hitting just .201/.260/.336.
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Orioles' Jose Rondon: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Rondon was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.
Rondon will remain in Baltimore's organization after being designated for assignment and going unclaimed on waivers. The 25-year-old owns an unsightly .196/.263/.280 line across 56 games with the Orioles and White Sox this season.
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Orioles' Jose Rondon: Cast off roster
Rotowire
Rondon was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Saturday.
Rondon spent less than a week on the Orioles' roster, going 0-for-1 in his only plate appearance. He won't be a particularly interesting option on the waiver wire thanks to his .196/.263/.280 slash line in 56 games this season.
Rondon was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Tuesday.
The bar to make an impact in Baltimore is rather low given the quality of the other options on the Orioles' roster, but it's still not clear if Rondon can clear it. He's hit just .197/.265/.282 in 55 games this season and owns a career .202/.260/.337 slash line over parts of three big-league seasons. He may wind up stuck as little more than a utility player.
