The Giants are designating outfielder Luis González for assignment, reports Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic (Twitter link). The club has yet to announce the move.
González, 28 next month, first landed with the Giants late in the 2021 season. A season-ending injury had led the White Sox to release him that August. The Giants claimed him off waivers and kept him on the injured list for the rest of that season. They non-tendered him at the start of the offseason but immediately brought him back on a minor league pact and re-selected his contract last April.
The former third-round pick had a productive ’22 season. He tallied 350 plate appearances and hit .253/.323/.360. González only homered four times but hit 17 doubles, stole 10 bases and posted roughly league average strikeout and walk rates. He at least looked the part of a solid rotational outfield piece.
Unfortunately, injuries have derailed his 2023 to date. González battled back discomfort in Spring Training and was eventually diagnosed with a disc herniation. He underwent surgery in mid-March and was on the IL until last week. González has been off to a slow start in Triple-A Sacramento. Through 14 games (nine on a rehab stint, five since being optioned after his reinstatement from the IL), he’s hitting .241/.344/.308.
That’ll squeeze him off the roster and onto the waiver wire. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, San Francisco has to waive González after the DFA. They’ll technically have seven days, though it’s likely they’ll do so within the next few days. There’s a decent chance he’ll be claimed after last year’s respectable showing.
González has one minor league option year remaining. If he spends 13 more days in the minors this season, he’d exhaust that option in 2023. He won’t be eligible for arbitration until the end of next season at the earliest.
Say what you will about Farhan Zaidi, but he avoided big mistakes with Correa and Rodon and tends to keep his screw-ups and missteps on 1 and 2 year deals.
avoids mistakes also never makes any big moves. evens out to one conclusion: he’s mediocre, like the Giants have been for years.
Never makes big moves and did NOTHING to better the team at trade deadline.
His reputation as a “baseball man” is much ado about nothing.
Scott Harris made FZ look good with Dodgers & we see what’s happened now that Harris is gone.
Giants have CHEAP owners & incompetent GM/President Baseball Ops
Scott Harris has never worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before he joined the Giants he was with the Chicago Cubs.
Cutting Gonzalez is a mistake.
Totally agree
You’re not wrong
Not enough was made of his D’Backs namesake when he was still hitting. Missed opportunity
Perhaps the guy who bought the original Luis Gonzalez’s bubble gum is using it to clone the original LG. Soon, every team in the majors can have their own Luis Gonzalez.
Bout time
bout time? he has been on the IL since last year. I have to assume that the main reason this happened is to open a spot on the roster with haniger on his way up and some rooks that they want to see
He’ll be in Charlotte by tomorrow afternoon as the CWS pick up everyone else’s left overs.
Well, in this particular case they’d kind of be picking up their own leftover-leftovers.
I would say he’s a white Sox fan, but apparently he’s doesn’t even know his team. He will get claimed royals, white Sox, or a’s can give him a shot.
Not a bad idea. Go get Blake Rutherford while you’re at it. Jake is bringing the band back together!
Someone will pickup Gonzalez quickly
We will never forget his clutch single to win the world series in 2001.
Think this is a bad move, Meckler barely had a cup of water at AAA, I’m not sure he is ML ready, you know what you’re getting with Gonzalez when he’s healthy. Give Meckler some AAA time and Gonzo one more ML shot.
Not sure we “know what we’re getting” after a back surgery.
Do agree Meckler needs more AAA, especially after seeing him last night
Good bye. His defense was subpar, embarrassing at times.
Yes, he had some bad moments in the field, but he wasn’t terrible. I can’t believe Giants let him go.
He can hit but how is his fielding?