Tim Anderson’s short tenure with the Marlins has come to an end. Where things went wrong

The Miami Marlins signed Tim Anderson to a one-year deal this offseason with the hope that he would bounce back after a horrendous 2023 season and help lengthen out a lineup that needed improvement.

Instead, he took another step back at the plate.

And now, his time with the Marlins has coming to an end, with the Marlins on Tuesday designating Anderson for assignment.

Anderson, 31, hit just .214 with a .463 on-base-plus-slugging mark over 241 plate appearances with the Marlins — far from what they were hoping for when they signed him to a one-year, $5 million contract in late February as the team’s only major-league free agent signing this offseason.

Among players with at least 240 plate appearances entering Tuesday, Anderson’s OPS was by far the worst in baseball, with the next closest being the Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Benintendi at .546 — 83 points higher. Of Anderson’s 50 hits, only three went for extra bases — all doubles. He walked seven times while striking out 68 times.

This came one season after Anderson hit .245 with just a .296 slugging mark, .582 OPS and one home run in 123 games with the Chicago White Sox.

Before these two seasons, Anderson was a career .288 hitter with a .759 OPS, 97 home runs, 313 RBI and 476 runs scored over his first seven MLB seasons.

“It’s never an easy day when you have to DFA one of your everyday players,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said pregame Tuesday before the team began a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox. “Tim was awesome in the clubhouse. I didn’t know him before this year. I knew of him as a player, obviously, but not as a person and he was one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around. Always here early for infield work, doing is hitting routine, trying to figure out how to get back to where he was in his form from 2021 and ‘22. That’s the toughest part. The guy put in so much work and then just there was just no production and nothing to show for it. That’s when you feel most for the player. It’s one thing if a guy is not putting in the work and that’s an easy move. This was not one of those cases. Tough day for us, and I’m hoping he lands on his feet somewhere because he’s still young, still has a lot to give to the game.”

Anderson’s departure opens the door for the likes of Vidal Brujan and prospect Xavier Edwards (who was called up to take Anderson’s roster spot) to get more steady playing time. Schumaker said Edwards will get a “longer leash” at shortstop to see if he’s capable of handling that role on an everyday basis.

“There’s gonna be some growing pains most likely there,” Schumaker said, “but he’s athletic enough to figure it out.”

Edwards, who made his MLB debut last season, made three starts at shortstop for the Marlins this season when both Anderson and Otto Lopez were briefly away from the team. He has made 106 career starts at the position in the minor leagues, including 19 this year with Triple A Jacksonville.

“I think I’ve shown that I could play short,” Edwards said, “but I’m not really too worried about that. Just kind of letting my play do the talking. Just enjoy my time out there.”

With Miami entering its series against the Red Sox at 30-54 — last in the NL East and the fourth-worst record in all of baseball more than halfway through the season — the attention has shifted to seeing what the young talent the organization has at its disposal can do at the big league level.

Edwards, who started the season on the injured list due to a left foot infection, is one of those key players. He’s a career .287 hitter in his small sample size at the big-league level (33 games and 95 plate appearances entering Tuesday) but could be a valuable utility player long-term.

Anderson, meanwhile, is the latest veteran the Marlins have parted ways with this season. They traded All-Star and two-time batting champion Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres in early May and designated for assignment (and eventually released) outfielder Avisail Garcia and catcher Christian Bethancourt.

This and that

▪ Pitcher prospects Noble Meyer and Thomas White will represent the Marlins at the All-Star Futures Game in Arlington, Texas.

▪ Right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera is scheduled to pitch six innings for Triple A Jacksonville on Saturday and could rejoin the Marlins’ rotation after that.