The Giants announced that outfielder Jerar Encarnación has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 7th, with a right hamstring strain. To fill his spot on the active roster, they have selected outfielder Drew Gilbert. To open a 40-man spot for Gilbert, outfielder Daniel Johnson has been designated for assignment.
Gilbert, 24, has been in the system less than two weeks. He was one of three players the Giants acquired when trading Tyler Rogers to the Mets ahead of the deadline. That was actually the second trade of Gilbert’s career. Originally drafted by the Astros, he was sent to the Mets in the 2023 deadline deal which sent Justin Verlander back to Houston.
Though he was once seen as a top 100 prospect, his stock isn’t quite that high anymore. Baseball America ranked him as the #77 prospect in all of baseball ahead of the 2023 season. Gilbert had just been drafted 28th overall in the summer of 2022. He then made his professional debut by playing ten games in the lower levels of Houston’s system, slashing .313/.405/.531 in a tiny sample of 39 plate appearances.
As he has climbed the minor league ladder, he has continued to perform, though it’s possible he may be a decent all-around player without a standout tool. This year, he has 408 minor league plate appearances. His 12.3% walk rate and 16.2% strikeout rate are both better than average. He has hit 14 home runs and stolen six bases. His combined .262/.369/.466 batting line leads to a 119 wRC+. He has played all three outfield positions.
BA listed him as the #14 prospect in the Mets’ system prior to last month’s trade. They note that he is basically decent at everything. He makes contact and hits a few home runs. He’s an above-average runner. While he can hold his own in center, he might be destined for right field.
For the Giants, he’s a sensible flier to take. Rogers is 34 years old and was about to hit free agency. Once the club slid in the standings, they made it their priority to focus on the future. They also traded Mike Yastrzemski, opening some outfield playing time. Encarnación’s injury opens up some more, at least for the short term.
Going into next year, the Giants have two outfield spots spoken for by Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos. They can use the remainder of their season to get a look at Gilbert and see if he can earn a spot. Guys like Grant McCray, Luis Matos, Marco Luciano and Wade Meckler could also be in the mix, though the latter three are all on pace to be out of options next year. That could make it harder for them to hold a 40-man spot through the winter.
Johnson, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Giants in May. He was selected to the 40-man roster in June. He has since slashed .172/.226/.345 in 31 plate appearances. That gives him a career .193/.238/.336 line in 126 trips to the plate, dating back to his 2020 debut.
Now that he’s been bumped into DFA limbo and the trade deadline has passed, he’ll have to be placed on waivers. He has generally hit well in the minors. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has a combined .267/.333/.469 line and 107 wRC+ on the farm. He is still optionable for the rest of this season but will be out of options next year.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Giants could be sneaky good in 2026 especially if the padres regress
Lee
Adames
Devers
Chapman
Eldridge
I guess. Need to have a good offseason.
Why are you just randomly listing position players, then sprinkling in a teenager who might not even debut until the end of next year?
Higher ceiling, lower floor
Also Ramos should be on that list
Eldridge is almost 21 and could easily make the Opening Day roster.
He’s 20 and debuting this year. Hopefully before September 1st so he can be on the playoff roster. 11 HRs and 40 RBIs in 34 games. Absolutely nothing to prove in AAA.
Playoff roster??? It’s a fact that the wild cards are going to be cubs/brewers, Phillies/mets, and then padres
They were sellers at the deadline and would also have to leapfrog the reds too
A Mariners fan lecturing a Giants fan about having hope… what is this world coming to
Playoffs? Don’t talk about…playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs?
If we were talking about the reds then that’s ok, but picking the giants to get in would be like saying the angels are going to win the division
Reds -4 games out of the WC
Giants – 5 games out
Padres will trade whoever the got come next year like they always do
Good luck Drew!!! Go have yourself a hell of a career. Some of us over at Citi Field are rooting for you.
5’9”? did he fly to San Fran in a paper airplane? Did they save money on hotel expenses by having him sleep in an executives front pocket?
Altuve is smaller but hits the ball better than people 6’5
Now do the rest of modern day players instead of just pointing to the near HOF outlier
Ozzie Albies
José Ramírez
Mookie Betts
Cedric Mullins
….
all under 5’9
Do you need anymore, because I think I just dropped the mic on you!
Altuve is not so much of an outlier. HoF guys under 5′-9″ include:
Joe Morgan
Yogi Berra
Kirby Puckett
Ivan Rodriquez
Phil Rizzuto
Roy Campanella
Puckett is the only one not to be voted MVP. He finished second to Dennis Eckersley in 1992, despite having a 7.1 bWAR to Eck’s 2.9. Pudge and Rizzuto were one-time MVPs, Morgan was a two-time MVP and Yogi and Campanella were three-time MVP.s
HoFers Ricky Henderson (1 MVP), Ozzie Smith, and Pee Wee Reese were all of one inch taller.
So yeah, assume a guy can’t be good since he’s “only” 5′-9″.
Those are all people that could fly in a paper airplane and sleep in a pocket. Still great players.
You are 75 lbs overweight AT LEAST
Nah. But if I was, it’s better than looking like Kirk Rueter (inspiration for sloth in The Goonies)
Go watch his college World Series highlights.
Dude is loaded with intangibles, fire, the heart of a fighter.
Next, go watch a Brewers game.
You might learn something about baseball in 2025. Drew Gilbert plays like those Brewers kids play.
I never said he was bad.
Corbin Carroll is probably 5’9”, though reported as 5’10”.
So now Gilbert is a teammate of the guy for whom he was originally traded two years ago, but neither but neither player is with a tesm involved in that trade now. That’s a fun coincidence.
It’s too bad that they parted with Johnson, but this does help clear up the crowded outfield in Sacramento.
horrible trade by mets
35 yr old 7th inning RP
for tidwell, gilbert, and butto
mets have made some great moves last couple of yrs. but time to time they make questionable bordering on ridiculous trades/signings
Butto is a decent MLB Pitcher, Tidwell has potential upside, and Gilbert has been raking for the past few months. Alot of control surrendered for a rental middle RP. Lol Mets
Two foolish haters who spend all of their time posting hate about the Mets.
gilbert has hit .500 in aaa
butto has 0 era so far for giants in the majors
and tidwell had 9ks in 5 ip in his 1st start in aaa
this is gonna be the next pete crow trade for mets
“gilbert has hit .500 in aaa”
It’s five games and it’s the PCL. Calm down, hater.
Pete Crow will be the next Baez. High strikeouts low walks.
You should calm down and see if Monica needs any help in the kitchen
Don’t worry, Daniel. True love will find you in the end.
Daniel, you’re a star.
Looks like a Nimmo type
Was hoping the Giants would give Johnson a long look for the rest of season.
He did well in Sacramento but never got any traction with the big team. Best of luck to him!
făkt/
noun
Knowledge or information based on real occurrences.
“an account based on fact; a blur of fact and fancy.”
Something demonstrated to exist or known to have existed.
“Genetic engineering is now a fact. That Chaucer was a real person is an undisputed fact.”
A real occurrence; an event.
“had to prove the facts of the case.”
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition • More at Wordnik
Something that hasn’t happened yet isn’t a fact. You may be very sure the Giants won’t make the playoffs, and they probably won’t, but that’s only an opinion based on other currently available facts. A fact would be that the Giants have had a losing record since the All-Star break.
I would honestly try to trade lee for prospects then sign a free agent outfielder.Bellinger makes a lot of sense.
Well I’m honestly glad that you’re not the one to make that decision. For one thing, Bellinger is not a guaranteed FA. He may, or may not, opt out of $27.5M for 2026. He might, but that ought to tell you then what he expects to get in his next deal. Bellinger has better numbers, but Lee has a better production to cost ratio value.
Lee is 3 years younger, in his first real season, still learning the pitchers and parks. Bellinger will be asking for more years than I would want to give him, given the inconsistency he’s shown over his career.
If they’re throwing money at a FA, I’d rather they go after Tucker.