Giants Rumors

Giants Place Roberto Perez On 60-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | April 8, 2023 at 11:53am CDT

The Giants placed catcher Roberto Perez on the 60-day injured list due to a right rotator cuff strain. Austin Wynns’ contract was selected from Triple-A to take the vacancy behind the plate, and Perez’s placement on the 60-day IL automatically created an open 40-man roster spot for Wynns. San Francisco also officially announced the signing of first baseman/outfielder Darin Ruf to a minor league deal, after news broke earlier today of Ruf’s return to the organization.

It’s another tough injury setback for Perez, who played only 21 games with Pittsburgh last season due to hamstring surgery, and 44 games with Cleveland in 2021 due to right shoulder inflammation and a fractured right ring finger (the latter injury also resulted in a 60-day IL stint). Perez had to make an early exit from yesterday’s game with what was initially described by the Giants as a shoulder strain, and now the 34-year-old backstop is facing another significant absence.

Perez’s abbreviated 2022 season meant he had to settle for a minor league deal this winter, but there wasn’t much doubt that San Francisco would select his contract (and lock in a $2.5MM guaranteed salary) sooner rather than later. As it happened, Perez made the Opening Day roster, but his injury now adds more uncertainty to what has already been an unsettled catching situation for the Giants.

Wynns and Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol are currently the only catchers on the active roster, though Sabol has also been used as an outfielder to help fill in for other injured players (such as Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater). With Ruf now in the picture, Sabol might return to more of a strict catching role for the time being, though the mix might get shuffled again when Joey Bart is activated from the 10-day IL. The Giants announced today that Bart was starting a Triple-A rehab assignment, so he could be returning from his back strain in relatively short order. San Francisco also recently signed Gary Sanchez to a minor league contract, and the former All-Star also figures to factor into the MLB roster at some point.

Wynns came to San Francisco in a trade from the Phillies last June, and hit .259/.313/.358 over 177 plate appearances in a Giants uniform. This respectable offensive performance didn’t stop the Giants from designating Wynns for assignment during the offseason, but Wynns chose to accept his outright assignment off the 40-man roster rather than test free agency.

Giants Sign Darin Ruf To Minor League Deal

By Mark Polishuk | April 8, 2023 at 9:54am CDT

The Giants are signing Darin Ruf to a minor league contract, The Athletic’s Jayson Stark reports (Twitter link). The Mets designated Ruf for assignment prior to Opening Day and then released the first baseman/outfielder earlier this week.

Ruf is no stranger to the Bay Area, hitting .248/.358/.455 over 726 plate appearances with the Giants from 2020-22. Much of that production came in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, which led to a two-year, $6.25MM deal that covered Ruf’s last two seasons of arbitration eligibility. Ruf hit a modest .216/.328/.373 over his first 314 PA of the 2022 campaign, but that didn’t stop the Mets from making a play for the veteran at the trade deadline, landing Ruf for a four-player package headlined by J.D. Davis.

Unfortunately for Ruf and the Mets, his brief time in New York was a disaster, as he hit only .152/.216/.197 over 74 PA and then finished the season on the 10-day injured list with a neck sprain. Some wrist problems seemed to contribute to Ruf continuing to struggle during Spring Training, and the Mets finally parted ways with the 36-year-old.

Since Ruf cleared waivers before being released, San Francisco will owe Ruf only the prorated minimum MLB salary, while the Mets will cover the rest of Ruf’s $3.5MM salary. If Ruf can recapture any of his old form, then the entire situation could become a nice mini-coup for the Giants, in obtaining four players for essentially nothing while getting Ruf’s salary off the books.

Ruf had pretty good numbers against right-handed pitching in 2020-21 before tailing off badly in 2022, but the Giants primarily used the right-handed hitter as a lefty-masher. Over his eight MLB seasons, Ruf has a career .272/.367/.523 slash line in 706 PA against southpaws. Between these splits and his ability to play first base and both corner outfield positions, Ruf is a very useful part-time option, especially for a Giants team that has both Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater (both right-handed hitting outfielders) currently on the injured list.

Injury Notes: Haniger, Taylor, Severino, Rodon, Moore, Trammell

By Anthony Franco | April 7, 2023 at 8:47pm CDT

The Giants have been without offseason signee Mitch Haniger thus far. The veteran outfielder opened the season on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain. He tells Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News his recovery timeline was slightly delayed by recent back tightness, which shut him down for around a week (Twitter link). Haniger is back to hitting off a tee now but still a bit off from potentially beginning a minor league rehab assignment.

With Haniger out of action, the Giants have pushed Rule 5 draftee Blake Sabol into left field alongside Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto. Sabol and Roberto Pérez are the only catchers on the active roster. Pérez left this afternoon’s loss to Kansas City with a right shoulder strain (as relayed by Maria Guardado of MLB.com), which could necessitate a roster move if he’s unavailable in the coming days.

In other injury situations around the game:

The Brewers lost Tyrone Taylor to a sprained right elbow at the start of Spring Training. Milwaukee announced at the time that Taylor would be sidelined into May. Manager Craig Counsell informed reporters today the outfielder recently had a minor setback and is midway through a week-long shutdown before he resumes a throwing program (via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). It’s unclear to what extent Taylor’s recovery timetable is delayed but it doesn’t seem a significant concern. Milwaukee turned to Brian Anderson in right field with Taylor sidelined. After the Brew Crew lost third baseman Luis Urías to an Opening Day hamstring strain, they moved Anderson to the hot corner and brought up top prospect Joey Wiemer to man right field.
Yankees skipper Aaron Boone provided reporters (including Chris Kirschner of the Athletic) an update on a pair of rehabbing pitchers this afternoon. Luis Severino, who has been sidelined by a lat strain, will throw a bullpen session this weekend. Offseason free agent pickup Carlos Rodón will throw a live batting practice session on Monday. Rodón was diagnosed with a mild forearm strain during Spring Training, though the Yankees downplayed any long-term concern.
The Mariners provided updates on a pair of injured position players this afternoon (relayed by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). Utilityman Dylan Moore and outfielder Taylor Trammell are both going to start participating in extended spring training games at the start of next week. Manager Scott Servais indicated that Moore could potentially return during the club’s April 14-23 homestand. Trammell is further behind, as he fractured the hamate bone in his right wrist in mid-February. That robbed him of any Spring Training reps; Moore also didn’t appear in any exhibition games but he’d done some backfield work before straining his oblique in mid-March.

NL Notes: Alvarez, Chisholm, Sánchez

By Darragh McDonald | April 6, 2023 at 10:28am CDT

Mets catching prospect Francisco Álvarez is joining the club in case fellow backstop Omar Narváez has to go on the injured list, per a report from Mike Puma and Ted Holmlund of The New York Post. The latter was removed from yesterday’s game with calf tightness and replaced by Tomás Nido. The Mets will have an extra day to let Narváez rest and assess the situation since their home opener was postponed until tomorrow due to inclement weather, though Andy Martino of SNY adds that the club is not optimistic about Narváez avoiding the IL.

Álvarez, 21, is one of the top prospects in the sport and is generally considered to be ready for the majors when it comes to his offense. He hit 27 home runs in the minors last year and also walked in 14.1% of his plate appearances, leading to a .260/.374/.511 and 136 wRC+. He also got promoted to the big leagues late in the year, getting into five regular season games and one postseason contest. He’s currently ranked among the top 10 prospects in the league by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, and just outside the top 10 at FanGraphs.

However, he’s still quite young and his glove is considered to be a bit behind his bat. He also struggled a bit in spring on the heels of October ankle surgery. All those factors led the club to option him to Triple-A to start the season, relying on the more established players in Narváez and Nido. If the tightness in Narváez’s calf doesn’t clear up and he needs a spell on the injured list, Álvarez might get another crack at the big leagues sooner than expected.

Some more notes from the National League…

The Marlins got a bit of a scare yesterday when outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. departed their game against the Twins with an apparent injury. While sliding into second base on an attempted steal, his shoulder collided with the leg of Kyle Farmer. Chisholm was in obvious pain and left the contest after a visit from the trainer. The club later announced Chisholm’s injury as a stinger and listed him as day-to-day, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. A “stinger” is a burning or stinging sensation of the nerves in the neck and shoulder area. Though the initial situation may have caused some hearts to skip a few beats, it seems he’s avoided a significant injury, which is great news for the club. Chisholm had a huge breakout last year, hitting .254/.325/.535 for a wRC+ of 139, though he was limited to 60 games by a stress fracture in his back. He’s now attempting to make the challenging transition from second base to center field this year, an experiment that might be put on hold for a few days. Bryan De La Cruz replaced Chisholm in center yesterday and could get more time there, though Jesús Sánchez and Garrett Hampson could also be options.
The Giants recently brought Gary Sánchez aboard on a minor league deal to bolster their catching depth and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi spoke to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle about the move this week. “We’re excited to see how he does,” Zaidi said. “At his best, he’s been one of the handful of best offensive catchers in baseball. If he can show signs of that kind of feeling, I think he can really be an impactful addition.” Sánchez hit .284/.354/.568 in 2016 and 2017 for a wRC+ of 143 but has fallen off from those heights in subsequent years. Since the signing, Joey Bart went on the injured list due to back tightness but isn’t expected to be gone long. In the meantime, Roberto Pérez and Blake Sabol are handling the catching duties, though Sabol is also playing some outfield and Zaidi admits that Pérez is “not an everyday player at this stage of his career, and we have to make sure that whoever we have complementing him can carry a pretty big workload as well.” The club will have to make a decision on Sánchez fairly soon, as he has a May 1 opt-out on his contract, which would come with a $4MM salary if added to the big league club. “We have a few weeks before we have to make a decision. It’s all about: Does he have the chance to bring it all together?” Zaidi said. “And if he does, it’d be pretty good.”

Giants Place Joey Bart On 10-Day IL, Recall Sean Hjelle

By Nick Deeds | April 2, 2023 at 11:46am CDT

The Giants are placing catcher Joey Bart on the 10-day injured list and recalling Sean Hjelle from Triple-A, according to MLB.com’s Maria Guardado. Bart was previously reported to be dealing with back tightness and has been diagnosed with a mild back strain. Susan Sussler of the San Francisco Chronicle notes that Bart is expected to miss minimal time.

Though he excelled in the lower levels of the minor leagues after being picked second overall in the 2018, advancing from rookie ball all the way to Double-A in just 130 games, Bart has struggled at the major league level since his debut during the shortened 2020 season, posting a .222/.294/.351 slash line in 408 plate appearances in the the big leagues while striking out 38% of the time. While Bart figures to get another opportunity to establish himself as the long-term catcher for the Giants this season, that will now have to be put on hold while he nurses his injury.

With Bart sidelined for the time being, the Giants are down to two catchers on their active roster, with Roberto Perez being backed up by Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol. Sabol had been playing in the outfielder while the Giants were rostering three catchers with Austin Slater and Mitch Haniger on the injured list, but now figures to see more time behind the plate as San Francisco looks to figure out if he can stick on the roster long-term. That should open up playing time for the likes of JD Davis, Matt Beaty, and Bryce Johnson.

That opens the door for Hjelle to join the big league roster. Hjelle, 25, is routinely considered to be among San Francisco’s top 10 prospects. He made his major league debut last season, and though he struggled in terms of results with a 5.76 ERA in 25 innings of work, that figure is inflated by a .400 BABIP. Hjelle’s 24.3% strikeout rate, 7.0% walk rate, and 3.51 FIP all indicate his performance was much stronger than the top level results would otherwise imply. With the Giants flush in rotation options, Hjelle is likely ticketed for the bullpen, though he could be used in a multi-inning role as he was last season, when seven of his eight appearances saw him face 12+ batters.

NL Notes: Giants, Hendricks, Lewis

By Nick Deeds | April 2, 2023 at 9:41am CDT

Giants manager Gabe Kapler recently discussed the club’s current catching situation following San Francisco’s signing of Gary Sanchez on a minor league deal, telling reporters (including Maria Guardado of MLB.com) that the club views the Sanchez signing as “a good opportunity for us to add some depth on a guy that we feel like has a chance to make a contribution at the Major League level at some point.”

If Sanchez is going to contribute to the major league Giants this season, it will likely come before May 1, when he will have the opportunity to opt out of his deal with the club if he hasn’t already been added to the team’s active roster. Still, that outcome certainly seems to be within the realm of possibility. Though the Giants opened the season with three catchers on their roster, the Giants have previously indicated that their current catching situation may not stick deep into the season.

Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol’s positional versatility will hold less value when outfielders Austin Slater and Mitch Haniger are ready to return from the injured list. Meanwhile Joey Bart, who the Giants selected with the second overall pick of the 2018 draft, has struggled all throughout his MLB career to this point. He’s posted a wRC+ of just 84 in 133 big league games, with a whopping 38% strikeout rate. Kapler noted Bart could still be significant part of the club’s future in spite of his past struggles saying “it’s absolutely the best outcome” if the 26 year-old is able to establish himself as the Giants’ everyday catcher going forward. However, with Bart dealing with back tightness to open the season and the club’s fluid catching situation, it’s an open question whether or not he’ll be able to do that early in this season.

All that potentially opens the door for Sanchez, a bat-first catcher who Kapler notes has been improving on defense in recent years and could complement the glove-first Roberto Perez nicely in a potential catching tandem, should the Giants indeed shift to a roster that features only two catchers later this season.

Injury Notes: Dickerson, Whitlock, Gonsolin, Haniger, Slater

By Mark Polishuk | April 1, 2023 at 9:37pm CDT

Corey Dickerson left today’s game due to tightness in his left calf, and Nationals manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com) that the outfielder will receive an MRI tomorrow. This isn’t the first time that Dickerson has dealt with such an injury, as a strain in his left calf cost him about a month of Dickerson’s 2022 season with the Cardinals.

Washington signed Dickerson to a one-year, $2.25MM deal over the offseason, adding a left-handed veteran to their mix of right-handed hitting and mostly less-experienced young outfielders. Dickerson was slated to get the bulk of work in left field whenever a righty starter was on the mound, and considering how the Nats are rebuilding, Dickerson will likely be shopped at the trade deadline if he is performing well. Of course, staying healthy is the first step, and Dickerson and the Nationals can only hope that tomorrow’s MRI doesn’t reveal anything serious.

More on other injury situations from around the majors…

Garrett Whitlock made a Triple-A rehab start yesterday, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) that Whitlock is planned for one more outing with Double-A Portland on Thursday. Assuming all goes well, the Sox would then activate Whitlock from the 15-day injured list for his next outing and his 2023 debut. The right-hander needed a little more time to prepare following hip surgery last September, thus necessitating the IL visit at the start of the season. The Red Sox are planning to use Whitlock as a full-time member of the starting rotation this year, after hip problems interrupted his first stint in the rotation in 2022.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya and other reporters that Tony Gonsolin is intended to throw a bullpen session on Sunday and then a live batting practice session at the team’s extended spring camp on Wednesday. Gonsolin suffered an ankle sprain in early March and is expected to need until late April to return to the L.A. rotation, but the righty appears to be making good progress in recovery.
The Giants provided media (including MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado) with several updates on injured players, including the news that Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater will both be re-evaluated this week in San Francisco when the Giants begin their first homestand of the year. Both players began the season on the 10-day IL, with Haniger dealing with a Grade 1 oblique strain and Slater a hamstring strain. A more concrete timetable might be known after next week’s check-ins, though the team did have some hope that Haniger (who suffered his strain on March 10) would be ready for Opening Day, and Slater was given an initial estimate of a 3-4 week recovery period. Slater is starting to progress to baseball activities in his rehab, so it would appear he has a chance of returning within that initial window.

Giants Select Bryce Johnson, Option Brett Wisely

By Simon Hampton | April 1, 2023 at 12:50pm CDT

The Giants announced a series of roster moves today, selecting outfielder Bryce Johnson to the active roster and optioning Brett Wisely to Triple-A. The team transferred Luke Jackson to the 60-day IL to make room for Johnson on the 40-man roster.

Johnson, a sixth round pick back in 2017, appeared in a handful of games for the Giants last year, tallying 19 plate appearances and picking up two hits. He was outrighted off the roster but remained with the organization into 2023. At Triple-A, Johnson put together a solid .290/.369/.401 slashline across 352 plate appearances, adding in five home runs and 31 stolen bases. He’ll provide some speed off the bench for the Giants.

Wisely was acquired from the Rays in a trade this winter for Tristan Peters. A 15th round pick by the Rays in 2019, Wisely’s bounced around the diamond a fair bit, earning reps in the infield and outfield. He slashed an impressive .274/.371/.460 with 15 home runs at Double-A last year but was traded just prior to the Rule 5 draft, as the Rays would’ve needed to add him to their 40-man roster or risk losing him in the draft had they not found a trade partner. Wisely did get in to the Giants opener for his first taste of big league action, playing two innings of center field, but the Giants evidently decided to send him back to the minors to continue his development.

Jackson underwent Tommy John surgery in April last year, so is still rehabbing from that. The Giants signed him to a two-year deal knowing he’d likely miss the first few months of the season, so this decision to shift him to the 60-day IL is not overly surprising. It does mean the earliest he’ll return is May 31. Jackson had a breakout year in 2021, working to a 1.98 ERA over 63 2/3 innings of relief for Atlanta.

Giants Sign Gary Sanchez To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | April 1, 2023 at 12:30pm CDT

April 1: The Giants have announced the signing.

March 31: The Giants have agreed to a minor league contract with free-agent catcher Gary Sanchez, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sanchez will make a salary of $4MM if he cracks the major league team, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The deal is pending a physical. Sanchez, a client of the MDR Sports Management, can opt out of his contract if he’s not in the big leagues by May 1. For now, he’ll head to the team’s spring facility to get some extra work in extended spring training.

Sanchez, 30, spent the 2022 season with the Twins after being traded to Minnesota alongside Gio Urshela in the deal that sent Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt to the Bronx. It was the first season Sanchez had ever spent with another organization, and while his oft-panned defensive ratings improved considerably with the Twins, his bat was nowhere near its peak levels.

In 471 plate appearances with Minnesota, Sanchez slashed .205/.282/.377 with 16 home runs and 24 doubles. His strikeout rate, while down from its peak level, was still a bloated 28.9%. Sanchez’s production against lefties, or lack thereof, was particularly problematic. In 126 plate appearances, he slashed just .165/.270/.284.

Sanchez’s peak seasons in 2016-17 and 2019 feel like a distant memory. Even with a lost 2018 season sandwiched in the middle of those three standout years, he batted a combined .247/.329/.518 over that stretch, averaging 26 homers per season (and 46 homers per 162 games played). In the three years since, he’s turned in a combined .195/.287/.394 batting line.

As previously noted, Sanchez’s glovework did appear to be on the upswing in Minnesota. Twins brass was regularly complementary of the work that he put in, and Defensive Runs Saved went from dinging him at a -10 clip in 2021 to crediting him at +1 in 2022. Sanchez also posted positive pitch-framing grades per both FanGraphs and Statcast, and his 28% caught-stealing rate was a few ticks higher than the league-average 25%. On the whole, it was arguably the best defensive showing of his career.

For the Giants, adding further depth behind the plate is sensible, given the general struggles of former No. 2 overall pick Joey Bart and the lack of clear alternatives behind him. Veteran Roberto Perez opens the season as the other backstop on the big league roster, along with Rule 5 catcher/outfielder Blake Sabol. San Francisco also has veteran Austin Wynns in Triple-A. Sanchez figures to eventually join him.

Bart, now 26 years old, was hailed as one of the sport’s top prospects from the moment he was drafted in 2018, but in parts of three MLB seasons he’s batted .222/.294/.351 with a sky-high 38% strikeout rate. He’s been vastly better in relatively limited Triple-A action, batting .293/.358/.464 in 310 plate appearances, but he’s yet to carry any of that production over to the big leagues.

The 2023 season will be a crucial one for Bart, who’s entering his final minor league option season. The extent to which he’s able to develop will have major long-term ramifications for the organization as a whole. Sanchez gives them another short-term alternative and a possible replacement in the event of an injury, but it’s unlikely he’ll supplant Bart behind the dish anytime soon, as the Giants likely feel they need to give Bart as much opportunity as possible before determining whether a long-term switch is merited.

Offseason Review Chat Transcript: San Francisco Giants

By Steve Adams | March 31, 2023 at 12:00pm CDT

Last night I published the Giants entry of our annual offseason in review chat. We’re hosting team-specific chats in conjunction with each installment in our OiR series this year. Today, I chatted with readers for an hour about the Giants, and you click here to read the transcript.

The original version of this post had an incorrect link to the chat. That’s now been updated. Apologies for the error!

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