Cardinals fan favorite's offseason odyssey continues with Dodgers' latest decision

It seemed impossible at the time, but Michael Siani has attracted more attention from Redbird Nation since being designated for assignment than he was while with the team.

That's thanks to a ridiculous offseason odyssey that has seen him change teams almost as often as Rick Ankiel did... throughout his entire career. Over the past few months, he has been rostered by the Cardinals, Braves, Dodgers, Yankees, and then Dodgers again.

Unfortunately, all that traveling didn't earn him an Opening Day roster spot, as the Dodgers have optioned him to the minor leagues to begin the 2026 season.

With any luck, he'll get a chance to play for the two-time defending champions, but St. Louis Cardinals fans know all too well that his biggest weakness will be hard to overlook.

Michael Siani clinging to MLB life as Dodgers option former Cardinals outfielder

The writing was one the wall for Siani once Victor Scott II emerged as the Cardinals' starting center fielder. The organization has a lot of faith in the latter, who is better on defense and the basepaths, the two places where Siani thrives.

The good news is that, despite all of the teams he bounced between this winter, he always got claimed on waivers. That means that Siani remains on the Dodgers' 40-man roster, which increases the chance of him getting called up, since he won't have to displace anyone else.

It's not hard to see why other teams couldn't kick the habit of claiming him. In 2024, he stole 20 bases and contributed a whopping 16 Outs Above Average in the outfield, including 14 in center, helping him earn 1.1 fWAR for the season. Considering that's the only extended action he's seen in the big leagues, there's reason to believe he can be a high-floor bench piece going forward.

The problem, of course, is when Siani is asked to step into the batter's box. He hit just .228/.285/.285 in that 2024 season, producing a 64 wRC+. He whiffs a lot for someone who should be focused on just getting the ball in play, and as one would expect, he doesn't hit the ball very hard or barrel it up very often. He's a great piece to have late in games for a playoff run, but his profile is almost Billy Hamilton-esque in terms of the black hole he provides on offense.

Therefore, the Dodgers are sending him to Triple-A, likely with a few things to work on as he refines his plate approach. It's unlikely Cardinals fans get the pleasure of seeing Siani in 2026, but his career isn't dead in the water just yet.