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If a club wishes to remove a player from its MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) and send the player to the minors, the club must first secure Outright Assignment Waivers.
CoViD-19 EXCEPTION: A minor league player added temporarily to an MLB Active List roster to replace a player who has been placed on the CoViD-19 IL can be removed from the club's MLB Active List roster and returned to the AAA affiliate's roster without having to be placed on waivers.
Outright Assignment Waivers cannot be requested while a player is on an MLB Paternity Leave List, Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency List, Military List, Restricted List, Suspended List, Temporarily Inactive List, Voluntary Retired List, Ineligible List, or Disqualified List.
If a player on an MLB or minor league Injured List is placed on Outright Assignment Waivers during the MLB regular season, he must be eligible to be reinstated from the Injured List and healthy enough to play. If waivers are secured, the player must be reinstated from the Injured List within 72 hours. If a player on an MLB Injured List is placed on Outright Assignment Waivers after the conclusion of the MLB regular season and waivers are secured, the player must be reinstated from the Injured List within 72 hours.
For all players on an MLB Reserve List (40-man Roster) other than MLB Rule 5 players (both Selected and Draft-Excluded players) and injured players, Outright Assignment Waivers can generally be requested anytime in a given waiver period, and they are always irrevocable. The waiver price is $50,000 (formerly $20,000).
Once secured, Outright Assignment Waivers remain in effect for a set period of time:
1. Seven days or until the end of the waiver period (whichever comes first) for Outright Assignment Waivers secured September 1st through the 30th day of the MLB regular season:
2. The entire waiver period for Outright Assignment Waivers secured starting on the 31st day of the MLB regular season through August 31st.
3. 72 hours if the player is on Optional Assignment to the minors or on a Disabled List.
A player who has a "no trade" right (full or partial) must waive his "no trade" right before he can be placed on Outright Assignment Waivers.
PLAYERS ON CUBS MLB RESERVE LIST WITH "NO-TRADE" RIGHTS: (updated 2-20-2023)
Tucker Barnhart, C (Article XX-B thru 6/15)
Brad Boxberger, RHP (Article XX-B thru 6/15)
Michael Fulmer, RHP (Article XX-B thru 6/15)
Eric Hosmer, 1B (full)
Trey Mancini, OF-1B (Article XX-B thru 6/15)
Drew Smyly, LHP (Article XX-D thru 6/15)
Seiya Suzuki, OF (full)
Dansby Swanson, INF (full / also Article XX-B thru 6/15)
Jameson Taillon, RHP (partial / also Article XX-B thru 6/15)
A club does not have to outright a player to the minors after Outright Assignment Waivers have been secured.
If Outright Assignment Waivers have been secured and are in effect, a player cannot be placed on Outright Assignment Waivers again until the final two days of the waiver period.
Beginning in 2019, if a player is claimed off Outright Assignment Waivers during the period of time beginning with the first day of Spring Training (the date pitchers & catchers report) through the final game of the MLB regular season, the player cannot be placed back onto Outright Assignment Waivers again for at least 48 hours or until he has spent at least one day on the claiming club's MLB Active List (whichever comes first), and if a player is claimed off Outright Assignment Waivers during the off-season (the period of time beginning with the day after the conclusion of the MLB regular season up until the first day of Spring Training), the player cannot be placed back onto Outright Assignment Waivers again for at least seven days.