Reports: Mariners place Ty France on outright waivers

The Seattle Mariners have placed struggling first baseman Ty France on outright waivers, according to reports from The Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish and ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

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If France goes unclaimed, he can refuse an assignment to the minor leagues and choose to become a free agent immediately or at the end of the season, due to having at least three years of MLB service time.

The 30-year-old France has been mired in another rough season at the plate. He is batting just .224/.313/.351 with eight home runs, 14 doubles and a career-low .664 OPS in 87 games. He has particularly struggled over the past two months, hitting just .159 with one homer and a .534 OPS since June 1.

According to Passan, rookie Tyler Locklear will get full-time at-bats at first base. The 23-year-old Locklear made his MLB debut in June and appeared in 11 games while France was on the injured list after fracturing his heel on a hit by pitch. Locklear batted .200 with two homers and a double in 30 at-bats.

Locklear, a 2022 second-round pick, is No. 78 in Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects. He is hitting .283/.389/.504 with 12 homers and an .893 OPS in 71 games this season between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma.

The Seattle Mariners have placed first baseman Ty France on outright waivers, sources tell ESPN. If he goes unclaimed, the 30-year-old can refuse an assignment to the minor leagues. Tyler Locklear will get full-time ABs at 1B. First on the scene was @RyanDivish.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 22, 2024

France was an All-Star in 2022 after a strong first half of the season, but his career trajectory flipped dramatically following a midseason injury.

During a June 23, 2022, game against the Oakland Athletics, France was set to receive a ball at first base when Sheldon Neuse collided with France’s glove arm on a play at the bag. France suffered a sprained left elbow and missed two weeks.

Prior to the injury, France batted .316 with 10 homers and a .867 OPS over the first 70 games of 2022. After returning, he hit just .232 with 10 homers and a .680 OPS over the season’s final 70 games.

That injury served as an inflection point not only for 2022, but for his entire six-year career. Prior to the injury, France batted .289/.362/.448 with 39 homers and an .810 OPS in 334 games. After the injury, he hit just .239/.319/.369 with 30 homers and a .688 OPS in 315 games.

The Mariners acquired France at the 2020 trade deadline in a seven-player trade with the San Diego Padres that also brought All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz to Seattle.

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