Ian Happ has 875 major-league plate appearances in 257 games over the last two seasons. He’s produced 39 home runs and an .801 OPS.
You’d think that would be enough to keep the 24-year-old outfielder in the big leagues, but there are also 296 strikeouts in those 875 PA, and he hit .135/.196/.192 (7-for-52 with three doubles and 14 strikeouts) in spring training games this year.
And so perhaps it shouldn’t have been such a big surprise when Happ was optioned to Triple-A Iowa Saturday.
With Happ having departed, though, the question is raised: Who will make the 25-man roster instead of him?