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Giants’ Randy Rodriguez Shut Down With Flexor Strain

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Giants reliever Randy Rodríguez was diagnosed with a flexor strain over the weekend, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic. He’ll be shut down from throwing for two weeks before going for further evaluation.

It’s a concerning diagnosis considering how frequently flexor strains serve as a precursor to some kind of elbow surgery. There’s no indication that’s under consideration for Rodríguez at the moment, though the team should provide more information after follow-up testing a couple weeks from now. San Francisco already placed the rookie right-hander on the 15-day injured list last week.

Rodríguez, 25 next month, has had a quietly strong debut campaign. He has tossed 50 1/3 innings across 33 appearances, turning in a 3.93 ERA with encouraging peripherals. He has fanned nearly a quarter of batters faced with a solid 7.6% walk rate. Rodríguez has done a nice job staying off barrels and has gotten swinging strikes at a robust 13.7% clip. While he worked primarily in low-leverage spots early in the season, Rodríguez had clearly earned manager Bob Melvin’s trust of late. No San Francisco reliever has more frequently come into key spots (as measured by the game’s leverage index) than Rodríguez since the All-Star Break.

That’s on hold for at least the next few weeks. With five-plus weeks on the regular season schedule, there’s no guarantee Rodríguez makes it back this year. Even a best-case scenario where he’s cleared to resume throwing early in September wouldn’t leave much time for him to build back into game shape. The Giants recently optioned scuffling closer Camilo Doval back to Triple-A, leaving them with Ryan Walker, Taylor and Tyler Rogers and former starter Jordan Hicks as their top late-inning arms.

NL West Notes: Black, Treinen, Graterol, Rodriguez, Jones

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As the Rockies trudge through another rough year, there isn’t yet any indication over whether or not manager Bud Black could be returning for his ninth season.  GM Bill Schmidt told the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders that the team and Black will “talk at the end of the season” and that “there’s nothing more to report on that” for the time being.  It isn’t exactly a vote of confidence for Black, who is on pace for his sixth straight losing season and his second straight year of at least 100 losses.

While Black’s contract is technically up after the season, his deal has been described in the past (by reporter Nick Groke) as “a rolling year-to-year contract.”  In both February 2022 and 2023, the Rox announced a new one-year extension to Black’s deal, yet no such extension was announced this past spring even though the two sides had some talks about Black’s future.  It could be that owner Dick Monfort’s well-known penchant for loyalty to his employees was running a little thin coming off a 103-loss season, or perhaps Black himself might be considering a different role at age 67.  Saunders writes that Black “loves teaching young players and participating in the Rockies’ attempts to improve,” but has also “remained mum about” the possibility of returning as Colorado’s skipper.

More from around the NL West…

  • The Dodgers’ list of forthcoming reinforcements off the injured list includes Blake Treinen, as manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (links to X) and other reporters that Treinen is expected to be activated on Tuesday.  This means Treinen will miss just the minimum 15 days after some left hip discomfort sent him to the IL back on August 5.  Shoulder injuries limited Treinen to five innings in 2022 and he didn’t pitch at all in 2023, and despite this minor hip issue and a bruised lung/rib fractures suffered during Spring Training, he has still posted a 2.67 ERA in 30 1/3 innings for Los Angeles this year.  In more positive news about the relief corps, Roberts said Brusdar Graterol will soon throw a bullpen session, as Graterol is making a quicker recovery than expected from a hamstring strain.  There was some concern that Graterol’s season might’ve been in jeopardy when he was put on the 15-day IL back on August 7, but it looks like he’ll be able to return and try to salvage something from what has thus far been a lost year.  Shoulder inflammation prevented Graterol from making his season debut until August 6, and he faced just three batters (recording one out) before hurting his hamstring.
  • Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier this week due to right elbow inflammation, and manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle) today that tests didn’t reveal any structural damage.  Rodriguez will still be shut down for a couple of weeks before being re-evaluated, so his absence should extend well beyond the 15-day minimum.  The hard-throwing Rodriguez has made a solid accounting of himself in his rookie season, posting a 3.93 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate, and 7.6% walk rate over 50 1/3 innings.
  • Circling back to the Rockies for one final note, Colorado activated Nolan Jones from the 10-day injured list today, and optioned catcher Hunter Goodman to Triple-A.  After a seeming breakout year in 2023, Jones has hit only .202/.311/.313 in 191 PA this season, while playing in just 49 games due to two lengthy IL stints related to lower back pain.  Jones also had extra concerns off the field, as he told Patrick Saunders that his newborn daughter had some breathing problems but is now thankfully doing better.

Giants Reinstate Ethan Small From Injured List

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The Giants reinstated left-hander Ethan Small from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento, according to the transaction tracker at MLB.com. San Francisco moved Wilmer Flores from the 10-day to the 60-day IL to open the necessary spot on the 40-man roster. Flores suffered a knee injury and will not return this season.

Small has been on the injured list all season after suffering an oblique strain in Spring Training. It was a tough start to his San Francisco tenure, coming around six weeks after the Giants acquired him from the Brewers in a cash deal. Small began a minor league rehab stint in the Arizona complex league on July 16. He pitched three times there and once in Low-A before heading to Sacramento, where he has tossed five innings across six appearances. Small has surrendered six runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

Pitchers can only spend 30 days on a rehab assignment, so the Giants needed to activate Small today. They’ll keep him in Triple-A in what would be his last option year if he spends at least 20 more days in the minors. A former first-round pick by Milwaukee, Small has spent the majority of the last two seasons in Triple-A. He worked as a starter in 2022 before kicking to the bullpen a year ago, pitching to a 3.18 ERA in 51 innings. His major league résumé consists of four games (two starts) between 2022-23.

MLBTR Podcast: The White Sox Fire Their Manager, Víctor Robles Extended, And The Marlins’ Front Office

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

We had some technical difficulties during this recording, so the audio is of a lower quality than usual. Apologies for that, but the source has been discovered and everything will be back to normal next week. This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Will Camilo Doval pitch again this season (or ever) for the Giants? (25:10)
  • What ever happened to Archie Bradley this season? (29:20)
  • Well, if your offense stops failing you, let the pitching failures take the spotlight! As a Braves fan, I am feeling quite trampled after all the high expectations that this season came with. Should I forget any postseason hopes? (31:00)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Giants Select Grant McCray

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The Giants announced they’ve selected outfielder Grant McCray onto the major league roster. San Francisco optioned Marco Luciano back to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move. The Giants already had an opening on the 40-man roster.

They’ll use it to take their first look at McCray, whom they drafted out of a Florida high school in 2019. The former third-round pick is starting in center field tonight against Braves righty Grant Holmes. McCray can play all three outfield positions and has spent the vast majority of his minor league time up the middle.

That defensive acumen is McCray’s biggest appeal. Prospect evaluators credit him with plus or better speed and an excellent arm. He has the tools to be a plus defender in center field. Outfield defense has been an issue for the Giants for a few seasons. That’s particularly true in center, where Heliot Ramos has been the starter lately. Ramos has had a breakout year offensively but is clearly stretched playing up the middle. Most scouting reports have long pegged him as a corner outfield fit. Both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average have graded him harshly in his 493 innings of center field work this year.

Ramos moves to left field tonight, pushing Michael Conforto to designated hitter. If McCray is up as an everyday center fielder, that’ll probably have the biggest impact on Jerar Encarnacion’s playing time. The Giants have given him five starts apiece at DH and in the corner outfield since they selected his contract on August 2. He’s hitting .237/.293/.395 over 41 plate appearances. McCray playing center field would leave the corner outfield/designated hitter roles to some combination of Ramos, Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski on most days.

The long-term viability of that plan probably depends on how well McCray acclimates to big league pitching. Scouting reports at Baseball America and FanGraphs credit him with nascent raw power but have never been bullish on his pure hitting ability. McCray has turned in decent results between the top two levels of the minors this year, combining to hit .242/.330/.446 in 97 games. He has 12 homers, seven triples and 26 doubles through 421 plate appearances.

McCray is drawing walks at a strong 10.7% clip but has fanned in nearly 29% of his trips. Strikeouts have been a problem throughout his minor league tenure. It’ll be a challenge for him to make contact in his first look at big league pitching, but his combination of power and athleticism present some upside if he can put the ball in play somewhat regularly.

Strikeouts have also been a question for Luciano, who has long been one of the Giants’ top prospects. San Francisco initially planned to give him everyday run at designated hitter after the Jorge Soler deadline trade. They backed off on that fairly quickly, perhaps because of trepidation about his elevated strikeout tallies in the upper minors and his limited look (31 games over two seasons) against MLB pitching. Luciano scuffled defensively at shortstop and has yet to really find a position at the MLB level. He’s still just 22, so the Giants will get him consistent reps in Triple-A to continue his development on both sides of the ball.

The Giants have dropped three straight to fall back to .500, though they’re only 3.5 games behind Atlanta in the Wild Card race. They’re playing the Braves tonight and tomorrow in what could be pivotal games.

Giants Sign Spencer Howard To Minors Contract

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The Giants signed Spencer Howard to a new minor league deal earlier this week, and the righty tossed a scoreless inning for Triple-A Sacramento last night in his return to the organization.  Howard began the season with the Giants before being traded to the Guardians in early July, but he was designated for assignment and then outrighted by Cleveland before the end of the month, with Howard opting for free agency rather than the outright assignment.

The brief trip back to the open market has now led Howard back to Sacramento.  Howard has a 5.75 ERA over 40 2/3 innings for the Triple-A affiliate this season, as well as a 6.21 ERA in 29 combined innings (24 with the Giants, five with the Guardians) at the big league level.  Though a .398 BABIP has contributed to Howard’s struggles in the majors, his 18.8% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate are both below average, and he has allowed five homers in his 29 frames of work.

Home runs have been a consistent problem for Howard over his five MLB seasons, contributing to his rough 7.00 ERA in 144 career innings with the Guardians, Giants, Rangers, and Phillies.  A highly-touted prospect during his time in Philadelphia’s farm system, Howard just recently turned 28 and is still trying to find a firm foothold in the majors.

The Giants have used the right-hander in a variety of roles (starter, reliever, opener, bulk pitcher) this season without much success, and Howard will again be on hand at Triple-A to provide some pitching depth.  Howard is out of minor league options, if San Francisco did select his contract back to the active roster, the club would again have to pursue the DFA route in order to try and move Howard back to the minors.

Giants Acquire Ryan Watson From Orioles

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The Orioles announced that they have traded right-hander Ryan Watson to the Giants in exchange for cash considerations. Trades after the deadline are allowed if the players involved have not been on a 40-man roster this year, which applies in this case.

Watson, 26, wasn’t selected in the 2020 draft, which was shortened to five rounds as a result of the pandemic. He then signed with the Orioles as an undrafted free agent and worked as a swingman for a few years with fairly unremarkable results. From 2021 to 2023, he tossed 259 2/3 innings across various levels with a 4.30 earned run average.

Here in 2024, he’s been working exclusively in relief with some signs of encouragement. He has tossed 22 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.38 ERA. He has struck out 26.1% of batters faced while giving out walks at an 8% clip.

Despite those decent numbers, the O’s never called him up. They bolstered their bullpen at the deadline by acquiring Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto from the Phillies, making it even less likely that Watson would be tapped. The Giants, on the other hand, traded Luke Jackson prior to the deadline and optioned their former closer Camilo Doval to the minors earlier tonight.

Watson hasn’t received much love from prospect evaluators but the Giants seem to be encouraged by his results this year. He will provide their bullpen with some non-roster depth and try to earn himself a roster spot.

Giants Interested In Longer-Term Deal With Matt Chapman

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The Giants’ late offseason dealings saw them sign two of the four prominent free agents who lingered on the market late into the offseason, inking Blake Snell on a two-year, $62MM deal and Matt Chapman on a three-year, $54MM pact. Both contracts came with opt-out opportunities this offseason — Chapman’s also has an opt-out opportunity post-2025 — and despite an early slate of injuries for Snell, both are looking like shrewd pickups now.

Snell has garnered more attention recently, which is understandable on the heels of a 15-strikeout performance that was immediately followed by a no-hitter in Cincinnati’s homer-happy Great American Ball Park. But while Snell draws headlines, Chapman continues to more quietly post excellent numbers. Both players look like locks to opt out at season’s end right now, although Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that the Giants have interest in signing Chapman to a long-term deal that’d keep him in San Francisco.

For the 31-year-old Chapman, the 2024 season has played out in almost inverse fashion to his 2023 campaign. Last year, Chapman roared out of the gates with a Ruthian start to his season, hitting .384/.465/.687 through the end of April. He was never going to sustain that level of production, but the extent to which his bat cratered was nonetheless alarming. The two-time Platinum Glove winner hit just .205/.298/.361 the rest of the way. A hand injury suffered in August likely contributed to a truly dismal finish, but even leading up to that injury, Chapman had been a below-average hitter for a stretch of more than three months.

That cold snap carried over into the 2024 season, as Chapman hit just .222/.266/.385 through the end of April. Since then, however, he’s turned his season around. In 367 plate appearances since May 1, Chapman is touting a .257/.360/.473 batting line. He’s homered 15 times, walked at an impressive 13.1% clip and cut his strikeout rate from last year’s 28.4% down to 24.3% in that stretch. (If you truly want to cherry-pick, Chapman is slashing .275/.382/.519 since May 17.)

It’s been an odd stretch for Chapman, who from May 1, 2023 to May 1, 2024 looked the part of a hitter very much on the decline. He’s now spent more than half a season’s worth of plate appearances distancing himself from that slump, however — and he’s done so while playing his customary brand of standout defense. Between his renaissance at the plate and his always excellent glovework, Chapman has been worth 5.3 wins above replacement (per Baseball-Reference) and 3.8 WAR, per FanGraphs. The discrepancy stems primarily from bWAR using Defensive Runs Saved in its equation (which credits Chapman as an elite defender), whereas fWAR uses Ultimate Zone Rating and Statcast’s Outs Above Average (which feel he’s been “merely” above-average). Regardless of one’s preferred version of the stat, Chapman has graded out as a star-caliber player this season. If he continues this pace, he’ll likely garner some down-ballot MVP votes.

Given the manner in which his season has played out, it’s not all that surprising to hear the Giants have interest in keeping him around. It can’t hurt that San Francisco brass was quite familiar with Chapman even before he signed there. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi was an assistant general manager with the A’s in 2014 when they selected Chapman with the 25th overall pick in the draft. Skipper Bob Melvin managed Chapman in Oakland from 2017-21.

Many of the roadblocks that prevented Chapman from landing the nine-figure deal most anticipated last year still persist. He’s 31 years old and will turn 32 next April. There’s minimal precedent for position players at that age signing for $100MM+. Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt, Jose Altuve and Manny Machado are the only hitters in the past decade to sign contracts of that magnitude beginning in their age-32 season (or later). Of course, rare precedent doesn’t rule out the possibility — and there’s also nothing yet suggesting that Chapman is dead set on a nine-figure deal (though given the strength of his season it certainly seems like a likely goal for Chapman and agent Scott Boras).

The Giants have just under $85MM in guaranteed salary on the books next season (not counting the buyout on Chapman’s $18MM option). That’d jump to more than $135MM if each of Snell ($30MM), Chapman ($18MM) and Wilmer Flores ($3.5MM) picked up their player options. Flores seems likely to do so, but he could be the only one if Snell and Chapman stay healthy. Arbitration raises will be owed to Mike Yastrzemski (earning $7.9MM this year), LaMonte Wade Jr. ($3.5MM in ’24), Tyler Rogers ($3.2MM), Thairo Estrada ($4.7MM) and first-time-eligible closer Camilo Doval, regardless of the fact he was optioned to the minors tonight.  No one from that group is going to push the Giants into uncharted payroll territory, and Estrada’s not guaranteed to be tendered a contract in light of his injuries and offensive struggles.

Looking further down the road, the only players on the books beyond the 2025 season are Robbie Ray (signed through 2026), Jordan Hicks (through 2027), Logan Webb (through 2028) and Jung Hoo Lee (through 2029). Ray can opt out after the current season (unlikely at the moment), while Lee can opt out after 2027 (although it’s far too soon to tell whether that’s realistic). Regardless of how those opt-outs play out, the Giants are just over $80MM in terms of guaranteed payroll in each of the next two seasons and around $60MM in 2026 and $45MM in 2027. There’s ample room on the payroll to factor in a long-term arrangement for Chapman, if the two sides can come to terms on a price point that’s agreeable for all parties.

Giants Option Camilo Doval

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The Giants have optioned right-hander Camilo Doval, per Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com on X. Earlier, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle had reported on X that Doval appeared to be headed out. The club also optioned catcher Jakson Reetz, per Guardado on X. To take the two roster spots, catcher Curt Casali was reinstated from the paternity list and Landen Roupp was recalled.

The move highlights what a struggle the 2024 campaign has been for Doval, especially lately. He spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as a lights-out closer for the club, tossing 135 1/3 innings with a 2.73 earned run average. He struck out 29.5% of batters faced and got ground balls at a 54.4% clip. His 9.9% walk rate was a tad high, but not egregiously so. For reference, MLB relievers had a combined 9.5% walk rate last year. Doval saved 27 games in 2022 and 39 last year, the latter number leading the National League.

That performance put him on the map as one of the better closers in the game. He was selected to the 2023 National League All-Star team and the Giants had some extension talks with him last year. But 2024 has been a different story. Doval has racked up another 22 saves but that’s in spite of his 4.70 ERA on the year. His strikeout and ground ball rates are still strong but he’s walked 14.3% of batters faced.

Things have been trending in the wrong direction as well. Since the start of June, Doval has a 6.75 ERA in his 21 1/3 innings pitched and blown four saves in that time. Clearly, the Giants feel he needs some kind of reset. Rather than simply moving him to a lower leverage role, they’ll send him to the minors to try to get him back on track.

The Giants will now have to figure out who will close games. Manager Bob Melvin said that they will have one guy for the job but he hasn’t told that guy yet, per Slusser on X. He did say that Jordan Hicks could be an option later but not at the moment.

Perhaps that will point to Ryan Walker stepping in and taking the job. The righty debuted last year with a 3.23 ERA in 61 1/3 innings. He’s been even better this year, with a 2.24 ERA in his 60 1/3 innings. He has struck out 30.5% of batters faced while only giving out walks at a 5.6% clip and opposing batters have put the ball on the ground at a 47.5% rate. He has moved into a leverage role with 21 holds on the year so far.

Turning to Doval and his contract status, the move isn’t likely to have a massive impact on him unless this turns into an exceptionally long stint in the minors. He came into this season with two years and 71 days of service time, putting him 101 days shy of the three-year mark. Since we’re over 130 days into the season at this point, he’s already gone past that line. That means he’ll qualify for arbitration this winter and is still on track for free agency after 2027.

Optional assignments in future seasons could impact that timeline, however. He currently has two option years. A player needs to spend at least 20 days on optional assignment in a given season for that to count as one of their options. Even if Doval does stay down to use one here in 2024, he’ll have another that could be used in an upcoming season.

Of course, all parties involved will be hoping that these are concerns that will become moot. Ideally, Doval can quickly regain his control and return to the Giants in short order and boost their bullpen for the stretch run. The club is 59-58 and just three games away from a playoff spot at the moment. They feel that optioning Doval to the minors is the best thing for the club at the moment but him returning to form would obviously be best for the future.

Dodgers, Rangers Had Interest In Blake Snell Prior To Trade Deadline

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Blake Snell was still wearing a San Francisco uniform once the July 30 trade deadline passed, as the Giants’ big asking price and the team’s own desire to retain its ace for the playoff hunt ended whatever chance existed of a blockbuster move.  Reports linked such teams as the Orioles, Padres, Yankees, Mets, and Cubs to Snell’s market in some capacity, and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes that the Dodgers and Rangers also among the clubs “to check in” on Snell’s availability.

The degree of interest shown for either club isn’t known, and Heyman’s “check in” phrasing implies something of a due-diligence exploration to see how open the Giants might’ve been about moving Snell, and what it might’ve taken to land the southpaw.  Snell would naturally be an upgrade to any rotation, particularly for teams like the Dodgers and Rangers who have been dealing with pitching injuries all season.

Considering how the Giants and Dodgers have made only two trades with each other since the 1968 season, it is hard to imagine San Francisco seriously considered dealing an ace pitcher to their arch-rivals down the California coast.  Even though Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi worked as the Dodgers’ GM before being hired in his current job, it’s probably safe to guess that whatever talks Zaidi had with his old boss Andrew Friedman about Snell were fairly brief in nature.  Los Angeles instead landed Jack Flaherty as its biggest pitching prize of deadline season, and will be counting on Flaherty and some injured pitchers returning from the IL to bolster the staff heading down the stretch and into October.

Landing Snell would’ve completely overturned an otherwise quiet deadline for Texas, as the Rangers brought Andrew Chafin and Carson Kelly into the fold in separate trades with the Tigers, while Michael Lorenzen was dealt to the Royals.  The modest set of moves underscored the Rangers’ uncertainty about making a push with a roster that has underachieved for most of the season.  Texas had gotten up to a 51-52 record on July 25, but have since lost nine of their last 12 games, probably closing the door on a defense of their World Series title.

Similar to the Dodgers, Texas has also been playing without most of its first-choice rotation for the better part of the year.  Several arms were slated to make returns at midseason, but Max Scherzer’s return was short-lived, and other pitchers (such as Jon Gray) have since gotten hurt in the interim.  A win-now move like acquiring Snell might’ve backfired if the rest of the roster wasn’t up to par, so it could be that the Rangers also had something of a cursory interest in Snell’s services.

Beyond just this trade deadline, however, these teams’ interest in Snell could extend to the offseason.  Snell can opt out of the second year of his Giants contract to re-enter free agency, which now seems to be likely given Snell’s incredible results since returning from the IL last month.  (As Heyman hears from two rival general managers, “it would take a ’catastrophic’ or ’debilitating’ injury for Snell to exercise” his 2025 player option and remain in San Francisco.)  Texas has a lot of money coming off the books this winter and Los Angeles is always open to signing top free agents, so these could be two teams to monitor if and when Snell hits the open market.

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