Paul DeJong, a nine-year MLB veteran infielder and 2019 All-Star selection, started the 2026 season as a member of the New York Yankees. But they released him on May 1, and after signing with the Detroit Tigers, he was released by that team as well, on May 25.
Now, 147 days after the Tigers released him and 171 days after the Yankees cut ties, DeJong remains a free agent.
The 33-year-old infielder did not play a single major league game in 2026, and a season-ending hamstring injury leaves open when, where and whether he returns. DeJong played his last MLB game on Sept. 26, 2025, for the Washington Nationals. That was 388 days ago, as of today, Oct. 19, 2026.
The Yankees released DeJong after he exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league contract, according to MLB Trade Rumors. New York had signed him in January as infield depth while Anthony Volpe recovered from shoulder surgery.
DeJong hit .203/.361/.516 with six home runs and 16 walks against 18 strikeouts in 23 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, according to CBS Sports . Jose Caballero, Oswaldo Cabrera and Max Schuemann all held 40-man roster spots, leaving DeJong no real path to a big league promotion.
Detroit signed him four days later, on May 5, according to the New York Post 's Jon Heyman . The minor league deal included a prorated $1 million base salary in the majors, according to USA Today 's Bob Nightengale .
But DeJong never got to Detroit.
He played six games for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, then limped around the bases while scoring a run on May 12, his last appearance of the season, according to MLB Trade Rumors . The Mud Hens shut him down for the year, and Heyman reported a hamstring injury that required surgery. Toledo released him May 25, according to MLB.com .
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DeJong was born Aug. 2, 1993, in Orlando, Florida, and attended Antioch Community High School in Illinois before enrolling at Illinois State. He joined the Redbirds as a walk-on.
The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him as a catcher in the 38th round in 2014, but DeJong passed on signing and returned to Illinois State for his redshirt junior season, according to MLB.com . The St. Louis Cardinals then took him in the fourth round, 131st overall, in 2015.
He debuted May 28, 2017, and homered in his first plate appearance (the ninth Cardinals player to do it). DeJong finished that year with 25 home runs and placed second to Cody Bellinger in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
In 2019, he became the Cardinals' lone All-Star. He hit 30 home runs with 78 RBI and led all major league shortstops in fielding percentage at .989.
Across nine seasons with the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Giants, White Sox , Royals and Nationals, DeJong owns a .229/.294/.416 line with 146 home runs in 925 games. A fastball fractured his nose in 2025, and he finished that year with Washington at .228/.269/.373 with six homers in 57 games.
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No retirement announcement has surfaced. DeJong appears among the shortstops in the 2026-27 free agent class, according to MLB.com's free agent rankings . He first became a free agent Nov. 2, 2025, after his stint in Washington.
MLB Trade Rumors wrote that a healthy DeJong should find another minor league deal for 2027, pointing to his home run power and his ability to play several infield spots. Since the start of 2022, he has struck out in 32.1% of his 1,327 plate appearances while hitting 50 homers.
RotoWire said much the same about DeJong. Expect interest, with a minor league contract likely before the 2027 season opens.
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This article was originally published on HEAVY
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