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By Noah Camras
Contributing Sports Writer
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Veteran outfielder Travis Jankowski has cleared waivers and elected free agency, as reported by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
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While there was no indication Jankowski was designated for assignment, the team must have quietly placed him on waivers to get him off the 40-man roster.
Rather than accepting an outright assignment, though, Jankowski has elected to enter free agency and look for his next opportunity at the major league level.
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Jankowski, 33, was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Rays in late April. He joined Tampa Bay at a time when they had multiple outfield injuries and made the most of his opportunity.
Jankowski went 8-for-31 (.258) with two runs batted in and six runs scored. He played in a total of 14 games, and even had a walk-off RBI single against the Milwaukee Brewers in mid-May.
Jankowski suffered a left groin strain a few days later and has been on the injured list ever since. Now, he's off the roster and will look for his next opportunity.
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Jankowski was initially selected in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. He debuted in 2015 and spent five seasons with the Padres at the MLB level. Then, he bounced around the league and wouldn't spend more than two seasons with any other organization.
Jankowski was traded to the Cincinnati Reds after the 2019 season. He was a part of the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, White Sox, and Rays organizations over the last five years.
Jankowski has appeared in more than 100 games in a season, just four of 11 years in MLB. However, he did it in back-to-back seasons with the Rangers in 2023 and 2024, playing in 107 regular season games and seven postseason games in Texas's World Series run in '23. He went 3-for-9 with two RBIs and an OPS of .844 in the postseason.
Across 11 career seasons in MLB, Jankowski is slashing .236/.318/.305 with 11 home runs, 98 RBIs, 104 stolen bases and an OPS of .623. He's logged over 900 innings at all three outfield spots, and has always been a plus defender.
He should have no trouble finding another minor league opportunity with a team in the market for outfield depth.
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