The Giants have designated veteran utilityman Aaron Hill for assignment, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to tweet. Prospect Ryder Jones has had his contract purchased to take the open roster spot, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported on Twitter.
Like their neighbors in Oakland, the Giants are in the midst of a mid-season roster transformation with contention out of reach. San Francisco has already called upon several young players for their first MLB stints, and Jones now joins that group.
Hill, 35, has struggled mightily in the early going. Through eighty trips to the plate, he carries a .132/.250/.235 batting line — though he has managed 11 walks against just 13 strikeouts. He had earned a roster spot after joining the organization on a minors deal, but has never found a groove while also spending time on the DL.
It seems likely that other organizations will show some interest in Hill, though his $2MM annual salary will be something of an impediment to a trade. It’s perhaps more likely at this point that he’ll end up heading to free agency and signing another minor-league pact.
As for Jones, a second-round pick back in 2012, the current season has represented a big step forward. He had largely struggled to do much at the plate on his way up the ladder, but showed well in the Arizona Fall League and has broken out at Triple-A. Through 228 plate appearances, Jones owns a robust .299/.390/.553 slash withten long balls.
Jones is expected to line up at third base for the Giants while Eduardo Nunez is sidelined. Given that Nunez is also a trade candidate, that could be a signiicant opportunity for the 23-year-old. Of course, San Francisco previously gave a shot to young infielder Christian Arroyo, who struggled in his first call-up but surely factors into the long-term plans somewhere on the diamond.
And the youth movement continues…
Cardinal fans know how you feel!
About time. Gorkys needs to go as well.
Absolutely agree. But who plays CF when Span is not playing? Giants have had zero CF depth. Well zero OF depth really. I really hope Tomlinson can prove he can play there. But can’t see that happening until next year.
Austin Slater….Tomlinson would be ideal given his arm and speed but his instincts and lack of experience work against him
Oh yeah I forgot he can play CF! Good call.
Span needs to go also
Agree, but he’s hitting better recently. His average is at a new personal best of .215! Don’t quote me on this.
I don’t know why my phone posted this twice
Watch sox offer this dude a minors contract
YES! Watching Hill hit the ball on the ground to 2nd with runners in scoring position has been torture
And now the Red Sox,the Mets,and the old standard the Braves are now on the clock!
Getting rid of everybody…..looks like they r gonna start shopping whole team….who’s untouchable, Madbum, Posey, Crawford….? Saw might move Belt to open up 1st for Buster, older hitter transition from C thing, as bad as they r, being lifelong Dodger fan, I know lowly northern Cal team is gonna be a thorn in our ass late in season….it’s my favorite rivalry!
Yeah, Posey’s defense has slipped a bit this year, although that might be a function of playing on such a bad team. But they need to be getting him more time at first anyway as he ages. Bochy has generally been good about getting Posey out from behind the plate for 15-20 games a year.
Actually, I doubt they do a whole lot as far as moving guys. Nuñez, maybe Cueto, but they don’t have much that would bring decent return or they’d have to eat salary. The core is still relatively young, even though Posey just turned 30, and I’m sure they intend on contending next year (i.e. Try to put a quality product on the field).
Could fleece yanks of some of their good prospects by dealing package of Belt n Nunez, fills dire needs 4 ny n San Fran can start reloading…..maybe lose Cueto n Melancon contracts while ur at it…
Good match up if the price is right. If they could move Melancon for any kind of reasonable return, that would probably be ideal. I just have a hard time seeing that without them eating a bunch of salary, but I guess that’s what happens when you pay $60mil for a RP. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Cueto stayed, too, given his year and contract complications.
Hill’s been bad for almost a year. He was terrible in Boston after he was dealt from Milwaukee, managing a paltry .218/.287/.290.
Not a good week for former Brewers.
Us Visalians have had 2 players designated in 2 days. Vogt and Hill.
Unlike there neighbor in Oakland the Giants have over 2x the payroll and not much talent in the minors.
Giants need to start playing there youth and scape there aging players