Being "optioned" in baseball means that a player who is on a team's 40-man roster is sent down from the active 26-man Major League roster to the Minor Leagues without being exposed to waivers

. This allows the team to keep the player within their organization while giving them more time to develop or making room on the Major League roster. Key points about being optioned:

• Each player on the 40-man roster has three option years during which they can be sent back and forth between the Majors and Minors without passing through waivers

• Only one option year is used per season regardless of how many times the player is moved up or down in that year

• When optioned, the player must remain in the Minors for a minimum of 10 days if a position player or 15 days if a pitcher, unless recalled to replace an injured player or serve as a 27th man for a doubleheader

• If a player uses all three option years and is not on the 26-man roster, they are considered "out of options" and must be designated for assignment to be sent down, which exposes them to waivers and potential claims by other teams

• Players with less than five years of professional service time may qualify for a fourth option year under certain conditions

• Players with more than five years of Major League service time cannot be optioned without their consent

In summary, optioning is a roster management tool that allows teams to send players to the Minors while retaining them on the 40-man roster, facilitating player development and roster flexibility