De Aza opted out of his minor league contract with the Athletics on Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Jake Smolinski expected to miss extended time to start the season, De Aza was competing for a reserve outfield spot, though it appears the job will likely go to Jaff Decker now. The 32-year-old will now look to catch on elsewhere with another minor league deal.

De Aza is competing with Jaff Decker for the Athletics' fifth and final outfield spot, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Jake Smolinski (shoulder) expected to miss several months after surgery, there's room for opportunity on the Oakland roster. De Aza brings nine years of major league experience to the table, but is off to a slow start this spring, hitting .217 over 23 Cactus League at-bats. The veteran has an opt-out clause if he doesn't make the Opening Day roster, so his time with the A's may be limited if he doesn't beat out Decker over the coming weeks.

De Aza, a non-roster invitee who signed a minor league deal on Jan. 25, is making a strong bid to stick as a fifth outfielder, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran is making the most of his opportunity thus far this spring, hiting .500 (3-for-6) over his first four games. De Aza has seen time in the leadoff spot when Rajai Davis has rested and is parlaying some extra playing time that a shoulder injury to Jake Smolinski has afforded him into solid production. While he did hit a career-low .205 last season with the Mets, De Aza owns a career .261 mark overall and can play all three outfield positions, making him a particularly valuable commodity if he can bounce back at the plate this spring. "He's done a nice job for us," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "We've seen him in the past have some good games for us when he was with the White Sox. As a left-handed-hitting veteran outfielder, we knew he would be a guy that would be intriguing in this camp, especially due to our lack of outfielders and center fielders in particular."

De Aza signed a minor league deal with the A's on Friday, MLB.com's Jane Lee reports.

EDGE Analysis

He posted a .205/.297/.321 slash line with six home runs and four steals in 267 plate appearances with the Mets last year, so it's not surprising he was forced to settle for a minor league pact. The A's don't have a particularly impressive collection of outfielders, but De Aza will still need to catch a few breaks in order to see significant playing time in the majors this season.

De Aza went 2-for-5 with a homer, a walk and five RBI in Thursday night's win over the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

It's been a long and unrewarding campaign for De Aza, who's still hitting only .196. He has, however, been seeing somewhat more regular playing time lately, with two big swings over the last week offering some personal redemption, albeit not much promise of present or future fantasy value.

De Aza went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Saturday's 9-5 victory over the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

The slugger took Jake Peavy deep in the sixth for his fourth homer of the season, plating Travis d'Arnaud and Justin Ruggiano to extend the Mets lead to 7-2 at the time. Despite the blast Saturday, De Aza has been unable to follow up a successful July this month, slashing just .133/.264/.311 over 45 at-bats in August.

De Aza is out of the lineup for the Mets' series opener against the Diamondbacks, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hitless in his last three games (0-for-10), the Mets will give the veteran outfielder a night off as the Diamondbacks send the left-handed Robbie Ray to the mound. Ty Kelly will make his second straight start in left field, this time replacing De Aza while batting seventh for New York.

De Aza (hand) entered Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks as a pinch hitter and remained in to play center field. He went 0-for-1 with a walk and a run.

EDGE Analysis

He had been day-to-day with a hand injury, but it seems that he is healthy enough to hit and take the field, so he should be considered fine moving forward. Unfortunately, his playing time will still likely be sporadic, as Curtis Granderson has shifted to center field.

De Aza was hit on the right hand in the ninth inning of Sunday's game but remained in the game. He later went for X-rays but they returned negative, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

De Aza suggested that he should be ready for Tuesday's series opener against the Diamondbacks, and the veteran has seen an uptick in playing time since Yoenis Cespedes (quad) was placed on the disabled list. It's best to check back before the contest for an update on his status.

De Aza got the start in left field against the Yankees, and hit a two-run home run off starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka en route to a 7-1 Mets win.

EDGE Analysis

De Aza got the start in center field with Yoenis Cespedes getting the night off with a sore quad, and capitalized on his opportunity. De Aza hit his third home run of the season, although it was his second in as many days after hitting one against the Yankees on Monday as well. De Aza has played poorly for most of the season, hitting just .211 with nine RBI in 133 at-bats. Despite the recent power surge, De Aza's value will likely remain capped by limited playing time, especially with the arrival of outfielder Jay Bruce via trade.