It’s a tough life in Major League Baseball. One year, you could be an All-Star, and a year or two later, you could face your demise. Mike Zunino of the Cleveland Guardians now feels this sentiment, as the Guardians designated the struggling catcher for assignment on Friday.
As part of several roster moves, the Guardians DFA’ed the 2021 All-Star catcher. Zack Meisel reported the move by the Guardians, which corresponded with calling up RHP Touki Touissant and optioning RHP to Triple-A Columbus. Meisel tweeted,
“Guardians moves:
- Mike Zunino designated for assignment
- Touki Toussaint called up
- Cody Morris optioned to Triple-A”
Guardians moves:
*Mike Zunino designated for assignment
*Touki Toussaint called up
*Cody Morris optioned to Triple-A— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) June 16, 2023
Zunino had gone through significant struggles in his age-32 season. He hit just .177/.271/.306 before the Guardians’ decision on him, with a wRC+ of just 63. The “league average” wRC+ is at 100, so make what you will of that number. What’s worse? His strikeout percentage went up to a whopping 43.6 percent, one of the worst marks in the entire sport. It would be the league’s worst K% if he recorded enough PAs to qualify statistically.
It’s a tough job sometimes; unfortunately, these are the results. Another MLB team could potentially pick the former All-Star up, of course. But for right now, a struggling 2023 continues for Mike Zunino, much to his dismay. Best of luck as he tries to navigate new waters.
