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Johnny Giavotella

White Sox Sign Johnny Giavotella

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The White Sox have signed free-agent second baseman Johnny Giavotella, according to an announcement from Birmingham, their Double-A affiliate. Giavotella will begin his White Sox tenure in Birmingham.

The 30-year-old Giavotella had been available since the Marlins released him May 3, which came after he batted .214/.389/.250 in 36 plate appearances with their Triple-A team. He also spent nearly all of last season at Triple-A (with the Orioles’ affiliate), where he hit a solid .306/.368/.441 in 379 PAs.

While Giavotella hasn’t been a factor in the majors lately, he did see extensive action at times with the Royals and Angels from 2011-16. In all, the righty-swinger has taken 1,344 trips to the plate at the game’s highest level and hit .255/.294/.359.

With his new organization, Giavotella will begin as minors depth for a club missing its star second baseman, Yoan Moncada, who landed on the disabled list last weekend on account of hamstring tightness. The White Sox have since turned to Jose Rondon, Leury Garcia and Yolmer Sanchez at the keystone.

Marlins Release Johnny Giavotella

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The Marlins have released second baseman Johnny Giavotella from their Triple-A club, the infielder himself revealed yesterday (Twitter link). The 30-year-old Giavotella will now explore opportunities in free agency as he looks to latch on with another organization.

Giavotella opened the 2018 season on the minor league disabled list with a hip issue — he had arthroscopic surgery on his right hip last August — but was activated mid-April and appeared in 10 games before being cut loose. He hit .214/.389/.250 with a stolen base in that brief sample of work with the Marlins’ New Orleans affiliate. Miami activated shortstop JT Riddle from the 10-day DL yesterday and optioned him to Triple-A, adding an important name to the mix for middle infield playing time in New Orleans and likely cutting into some of Giavotella’s opportunity.

Giavotella received just 10 big league plate appearances in 2017, all coming with the Orioles, but he enjoyed a highly productive season with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate, hitting .306/.368/.441 with five homers, 22 doubles, four triples and four steals in 379 plate appearances. He was also a regular in the Angels’ big league lineup not long ago, totaling 869 PAs and hitting a combined .267/.305/.375 with the Halos from 2015-16.

In all, while Giavotella has struggled to get on base in the Majors (career .294 OBP in 1344 PAs), he’s a lifetime .312/.381/.446 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A campaigns — a track record that should provide him ample opportunity to latch on with a club in need of some depth second base.

Injury Updates: Cano, Sano, Gomez, Street, Giavotella

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Robinson Cano isn’t in today’s Mariners lineup, marking the second baseman’s second straight missed game since suffering a minor hamstring strain on Wednesday.  Cano is able to pinch-hit today, however, and manager Scott Servais told reporters (including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times) yesterday that Cano’s injury is “about as slight as you get on the Grade 1 side” of a hamstring strain.  It certainly looks like Cano will able to avoid the disabled list, which is a boon for a Mariners team in the thick of the wild card race.  Here are some more injury updates from around the league…

  • Miguel Sano has yet to begin fielding or hitting drills and he is still unable to run on his injured left shin, Twins manager Paul Molitor told the Star Tribune’s Phil Miller and other reporters.  Sano is eligible to come off the 10-day DL on Wednesday but it seems like he’ll miss more than the minimum amount of time.
  • The Rangers activated Carlos Gomez from the 10-day DL.  The outfielder missed only the minimum amount of time after a cyst was removed from behind his right shoulder.  Gomez is enjoying a solid season in Texas, hitting .251/.339/.455 with 15 homers in 351 plate appearances.
  • Huston Street has resumed throwing this week and the veteran reliever is hoping to make it back for the last two weeks of the season, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets.  The Angels righty has pitched in just four games this season thanks to two lengthy DL stints, the first due to a strained lat muscle, and then his current absence, which began in early July due to a groin strain but Street was then shut down in early August due to a mild right rotator cuff strain.
  • Johnny Giavotella underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip, the veteran infielder announced via his own Twitter feed.  The procedure will, in Giavotella’s words, “relieve the chronic pain I’ve been playing with for a considerable time,” and he predicts that he’ll be recovered in time for Spring Training.  Giavotella signed a minor league deal with the Orioles last winter that ended up paying him $1.1MM when his contract was selected by the team in July.  Giavotella appeared in just seven games for the O’s before being outrighted off the 40-man roster and down to Triple-A.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/4/17

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Here are Friday’s minor moves from around baseball…

  • Left-hander David Rollins has been released by the Cubs, per the organization’s Triple-A affiliate (on Twitter). Rollins garnered plenty of headlines this offseason when he was claimed off waivers five different times and designated for assignment a sixth time in one offseason before finally clearing waivers and being assigned to the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa. He struggled there this season, though, totaling 42 innings with a 5.79 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. He posted a much better year with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in 2016 (3.77 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 1.2 BB/9) and also has 34 1/3 innings of experience in the Majors — all coming with Seattle from 2015-16.
  • The Orioles announced last night that infielder Johnny Giavotella has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk.  The 30-year-old Giavotella made a brief cameo with the O’s appearing in seven games and totaling just 10 plate appearances in that time. He’s had a nice season in Norfolk thus far, hitting .306/.368/.441 in 379 plate appearances. He also spent the 2015-16 seasons receiving the bulk of the Angels’ play at second base, though he posted a modest .267/.305/.375 slash through 869 plate appearances in that time.

Orioles Designate Johnny Giavotella

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The Orioles have designated infielder Johnny Giavotella for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot will go to the just-acquired Tim Beckham.

Giavotella, 30, has only been with Baltimore for a brief stretch, seeing limited action in seven games. But he had played well for the organization’s top affiliate, slashing .306/.368/.441 with 34 walks against 41 strikeouts over 379 plate appearances.

Over parts of seven seasons in the majors, Giavotella carries a .255/.294/.359 batting line across 1,344 trips to the plate. If he is outrighted, he’d have the right to refuse any assignment.

 

Orioles Designate David Washington, Select Johnny Giavotella

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The Orioles have announced a series of roster moves today. Baltimore has selected the contract of infielder Johnny Giavotella, optioning lefty Jayson Aquino and designating first baseman/outfielder David Washington for assignment to create roster space.

Giavotella, 29, will appear in the majors for the seventh consecutive season. Over that span, he has compiled a.256/.295/.361 batting line over 1,334 total MLB plate appearances. The biggest chunk of that time came over the past two seasons, when Giavotella saw regular duties at second for the Angels before being demoted and then cut loose last year.

As for the 26-year-old Washington, this season brought his first taste of the big leagues. He stayed up only briefly, however, failing to register a hit in six plate appearances. Washington has hit quite well at Triple-A, as he did in 2016, with a .282/.336/.510 slash and 13 home runs in his 277 plate appearances.

Orioles To Sign Johnny Giavotella

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The Orioles have agreed to a minor-league deal with second baseman Johnny Giavotella, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). He can earn $1.1MM annually at the MLB level in the deal, which also includes incentives.

Presumably, Giavotella will compete for a bench spot in Spring Training. If he fails to make the roster, he’ll have a chance to opt out at the end of camp (March 27th). If he ends up opening the year in the minors, and isn’t later promoted, he can also request his release on July 31st.

Giavotella, 29, spent the better portion of the past two seasons as the Angels’ near-regular at second. Though he put up a serviceable .272/.318/.375 batting line in 2015, however, he fell off last year. After 367 plate appearances of .260/.287/.376 hitting, the Halos outrighted Giavotella, who has generally rated as a somewhat below-average defensive performer. Though he hit well in his brief stay at Triple-A, he wasn’t recalled when rosters expanded. Because he had been outrighted earlier in the year, Giavotella was eligible to take free agency after the season.

For the O’s, the move bolsters their infield depth with little in the way of a commitment. It’s possible that Giavotella could push Ryan Flaherty for the team’s utility job, though the left-handed-hitting Flaherty makes for a more natural pairing with the team’s righty bats.

Angels Won’t Recall Tim Lincecum, Johnny Giavotella

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The Angels do not plan to bring veteran righty Tim Lincecum back to the majors this year, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (Twitter link). The same holds true for infielder Johnny Giavotella, he tweeted himself.

Hopes were high in some quarters when Lincecum, the two-time former Cy Young winner, ramped up for action in 2016. After undergoing hip surgery in the offseason, he held a heavily-covered workout and ultimately joined the Angels under a contract that paid him a pro-rated portion of a $2.5MM salary.

Things didn’t go quite as hoped. Lincecum had been pitching at Triple-A after accepting an outright assignment about a month ago, which resulted after the 32-year-old ran up a ghastly 9.16 ERA and lasted only 38 1/3 innings over nine starts.

The results were better at Triple-A, as Lincecum pitched an identical number of frames in seven outings. He ends his time in Salt Lake City with a 3.76 ERA and 8.7 K/9 with 3.3 BB/9. Still, the overall showing wasn’t enough to claim back a 40-man spot, and Lincecum figures to be looking at a minor league deal this winter.

As for Giavotella, 29, he also ended up in Triple-A after struggling through his major league work. Over 367 plate appearances in the majors, he put up a .260/.287/.376 batting line. It’s a bit of a surprise at first glance that Giavotella won’t be back, given his prominent role over the last two seasons, but he had already been trimmed from the 40-man. As a player with more than three years of Major League service time — Giavotella reached that threshold this season — his outright earlier this summer gives him the option to elect free agency following the completion of the regular season.

Angels Outright Johnny Giavotella To Triple-A

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The Angels have outrighted second baseman Johnny Giavotella to Triple-A, the club announced.  Giavotella cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.

After being acquired from Kansas City in a December 2014 trade, Giavotella has spent much of the last two seasons as the Angels’ starter at the keystone.  He didn’t provide much offensively (.267/.305/.375 over 869 plate appearances) or defensively (the UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved metrics indicate below-average glovework over the last two years) and Giavotella had recently lost playing time to Gregorio Petit and Cliff Pennington.  Second base certainly appears to be one of many areas of need for the Halos this winter as they look to recover from a thoroughly disappointing 2016 campaign.

As Pedro Moura of the L.A. Times tweets, the Angels will use Giavotella as a utilityman at Triple-A.  Giavotella has some experience at third base and left field in the minors, though he has only appeared at a position other than second once at the Major League level (a single game at shortstop).  Gaining some multi-position versatility could be helpful for Giavotella’s career prospects, given his lack of success against MLB pitching.  Giavotella will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and is a potential non-tender candidate, though he doesn’t figure to be in line for a very big salary in his initial trip through the arb process.

Angels Make Handful Of Roster Moves

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The Angels have placed concussed third baseman Yunel Escobar on the seven-day disabled list, recalled third bagger Kaleb Cowart from Triple-A Salt Lake, activated first baseman C.J. Cron from the DL, and designated second baseman Johnny Giavotella for assignment, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Updated Angels Depth Chart]

Escobar suffered his injury on a fourth-inning bunt attempt against the Yankees on Friday. The ball went off Escobar’s bat and hit him in the face, causing him to leave early.

“We’re going to take it one step at a time, but (the DL) is a possibility,” manager Mike Scioscia said afterward (via Steve Dilbeck of the Associated Press).

Escobar has enjoyed his second straight quality offensive season, having posted a .320/.368/.402 batting line through 479 plate appearances. He’s playing on a $7MM salary this year and has a $7MM club option for 2017, which either makes him an affordable option for the Angels or a potential trade candidate. With the end of August drawing nearer, a concussion issue won’t help the Angels’ cause if they’re willing to deal Escobar, though there’s no word on whether that’s the case. FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reported Thursday that Escobar, 33, drew interest prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.

Taking Escobar’s place on the roster will be Cowart, whom MLBTR’s Jason Martinez highlighted in his “Knocking Down the Door” series earlier this week. As Martinez noted, Cowart had been swinging a red-hot bat in the minors prior to his call-up and has the ability to play a handful of positions. The 24-year-old has collected just 58 major league plate appearances since the Angels selected him 18th overall in the 2010 draft. He peaked as Baseball America’s 60th-ranked prospect after the 2012 season.

Cron, meanwhile, is returning after landing on the DL on July 8 with a fractured left hand that occurred on a hit by pitch. Cron has been one of the few bright spots for the club, slashing .280/.331/.479 with 11 home runs over 283 plate appearances. That represents nice progress for the 26-year-old, who had only been a slightly above-average hitter in his two previous seasons. Cron also recorded career-best rates in walks (6 percent) and strikeouts (14.5 percent) prior to the injury.

Although he has logged 869 plate appearances with the Angels since last season, Giavotella’s playing time had been dwindling lately in favor of Cliff Pennington and Gregorio Petit, Fletcher wrote Thursday.

“Johnny is a good player,” Scioscia told Fletcher. “But those guys have jumped up and won more playing time.”

The 29-year-old Giavotella is making just over the league minimum and is scheduled for his first trip through arbitration during the upcoming offseason. He has hit .260/.287/.376 with six homers in 367 plate appearances this season and owns a similar .256/.295/.361 line in 1,334 major league PAs.

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