Taiwanese-American outfielder Stuart Fairchild on Monday was designated for assignment (DFA) by the Atlanta Braves, removing him from the team’s 40-man roster to make room for catcher Sandy Leon.
Fairchild — whose mother moved from Taiwan when she was 12 — joined Atlanta in March after being traded for cash by the Cincinnati Reds. He was activated by the Braves in April and since then has had 55 plate appearances in 28 games as their fourth outfielder, recording seven runs and 11 hits.
The Braves put him on rehab assignment with Triple-A affiliate the Gwinnett Stripers last month after he dislocated his left pinky in a slide, before returning to the majors later that month.
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Fairchild’s DFA means he is out of minor league options and must either be traded or placed on release waivers within seven days.
Although drafted in the second round by the Reds in 2017, the 29-year-old did not make his first MLB appearance until 2021 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has since appeared in 277 MLB games with Arizona, the Reds, the Seattle Mariners, the San Francisco Giants and the Braves.
Fairchild is one of three Taiwanese-American players in the majors that Taiwan has been trying to recruit for next year’s World Baseball Classic.
CPBL commissioner Tsai Chi-chang on Friday last week said that Fairchild and the Chicago Cubs’ Jonathon Long, whose mother is also Taiwanese, have shown “strong interest” in representing Taiwan.
Although Tsai said he was unable to meet with Fairchild during a nine-day trip to recruit the American players, the outfielder remained interested and hopes to stay in touch with the CPBL.
While 23-year-old Long appeared to be the most enthusiastic of the three about representing Taiwan, two-time MLB All-Star Corbin Carroll declined the CPBL’s invitation, saying he was eyeing a spot on the US team.
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Carroll “said he was born and raised in America, and his goal now is to earn a spot on Team USA,” Tsai said. “For now, he is not considering any second option... He said he knows many good players in Taiwan hope to make the team, and he does not want to take their spot.”
Nevertheless, in a recorded video released by the CPBL, Carroll said he was open to hosting kids’ camps or supporting baseball in Taiwan in other ways.
The 24-year-old, whose mother is Taiwanese, is tied for 15th on the MLB home-run leaders list with 21 homers. The former Rookie of the Year is on pace to record a career-high in homers this season, while batting .250.
Tsai, who was accompanied on the trip by former MLB pitchers Kuo Hung-chih and Chen Wei-yin, met with Carroll in San Diego ahead of one of Arizona’s games against the Padres earlier this month.
The Cubs third baseman Long, who asked Kuo for an autograph on a bobblehead during their meeting, has visited Taiwan several times with his family, Tsai said, adding that his grandparents regularly visit Taiwan.
Long has received permission from the Cubs to represent Taiwan next year, with the only potential obstacle being a trade, the CPBL head said.
Taiwan beat Spain in February to qualify for the World Baseball Classic, which is to start on March 5.
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