The Melvin Upton Jr. experiment is officially over.
The veteran outfielder opted out of his minor league deal with the Giants on Monday, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Upton is apparently looking to sign with a team headed to the postseason.
Melvin Upton Jr. opted out of minors deal with giants in hopes of hooking on with contender. Has playoff experience. Good defender w/ speed.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 21, 2017
One would think that the former first-round pick would’ve been an obvious candidate to fill the club’s void in left field, and Upton Jr., 33, looked primed to make the club in Spring Training. A sore shoulder kept Upton Jr. out until July 1, however, and the veteran played in just 12 games for the River Cats, hitting .244 with a home run and a below average OPS of .639.
Upton Jr. split time between the Padres and Blue Jays last season, posting a below average line of .238/.291/.402, while stealing 27 bases and hitting 20 home runs. Despite his ho-hum numbers at the plate, Upton Jr. is considered a solid defensive outfielder with excellent range.