The Cleveland Guardians have placed first baseman Carlos Santana on outright waivers, multiple sources told The Athletic on Tuesday.
The move likely signals the end of the veteran infielder's third stint with Cleveland, lasting less than a season over 116 games. He hit .225 in that time with 11 home runs and an 80 OPS+.
Santana broke into the Majors in 2010, playing his first eight seasons for the Guardians (then known as the Indians). After a one-year stopover with the Philadelphia Phillies, the best year of his career came in 2019 when he returned to Cleveland and made his lone All-Star Game and won his only Silver Slugger. He played to a 4.7 bWAR that year, hitting 34 home runs and piling up a .911 OPS.
Santana then played all 60 games of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but found little success, hitting .199. He bounced around the league after that, playing for five different teams before returning to Cleveland.
As the 2025 season wore on, however, his playing time began to wane. He has only started five games since August 15, while young talent like Kyle Manzardo and C.J. Kayfus have gotten more reps.
Now, the Guardians sit two games below .500 but six out of the American League Wild Card. A return to the postseason is unlikely at this point but certainly not out of the question — though the team has lost nine of its last 10 games and is clearly trending in the wrong direction. They are in the midst of a three-game home series with the Tampa Bay Rays.
As for Santana, teams now have 48 hours to submit a claim on him, with priority going in reverse order of record. If a team claims him, they will be on the hook for the $2 million remaining on his contract. If he goes unclaimed, the Guardians can either keep him — but would need to make room on the roster, send him to Triple-A or release him.
