Giants Select Donovan Walton

The Giants have selected infielder Donovan Walton’s contract from Triple-A Sacramento, the team announced. To make room for Walton on the active roster, the club optioned outfielder Luis Matos to the minor leagues. The Giants already had an open spot on the 40-man roster.

Walton, 30, will get the start in tonight’s contest with the Padres, playing second base and batting ninth. Brett Wisely, who has gotten most of his playing time since the All-Star break at second base, will slide over to short. Walton’s promotion is most likely related to shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald’s back tightness, which forced him to exit yesterday’s game in the third inning. Thankfully, Fitzgerald’s MRI showed no signs of structural damage (per Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle), and there is no indication he will require a trip to the injured list. Walton will be around to cover until Fitzgerald is ready to return to action.

This will be Walton’s first trip back to the majors since 2022. Selected by the Mariners in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, the versatile infielder (and occasional outfielder) made his MLB debut with Seattle in 2019. He appeared in 37 games for the M’s from 2019-22, going 18-for-92 (.196) with a .575 OPS. The Mariners sent him to San Francisco in May 2022, and he appeared in 24 games for the Giants, going 12-for-76 (.158) with a .482 OPS. Unsurprisingly, San Francisco non-tendered him at the end of the season, but he re-signed with the club in December 2022. After an injury-shortened 2023 season, he signed another minor league pact to return to the Giants in 2024. Following an impressive showing at Triple-A – he’s hitting .306 with an .821 OPS – Walton has finally made his way back to the major leagues. He could get at least a few starts while Fitzgerald is on the mend. After that, he will presumably be DFA’d at some point in the coming weeks before electing free agency again this offseason.