The Cincinnati Reds officially released outfielder Shogo Akiyama on Tuesday after two disappointing seasons.
The Reds owe him $8 million for the 2022 season on the three-year, $21 million deal he signed in January 2020.
Akiyama, who turns 34 on April 16, becomes a free agent.
He was batting .182 with six strikeouts, no homers and no RBIs in seven games in spring training.
Akiyama appeared in 142 games for the Reds in 2020 and 2021, batting .224 with zero home runs and 21 RBIs.
The first Japanese-born player ever to appear in a game for the Reds, Akiyama batted .301 during his nine-year career in Nippon Professional Baseball, all with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Pacific League. He was a five-time Pacific League All-Star and a six-time Gold Glove winner.
–Field Level Media