Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

What Are The Giants Doing In The Outfield?

By | at

We are regularly asked questions about the state of the Giants’ outfield, so I decided to assess the 10 (soon to be 11) players they’ve used out there so far.  I also took a look at their options in the upper minors.

Outfielders The Giants Have Used In Their First 40 Games

Left Field

  • Gerardo Parra (40.7% of defensive innings) – Parra signed a minor league deal in February and broke camp with the big league club, but was designated for assignment on May 3rd, signed with the Nationals, and has started their last three games.  The Giants pulled the plug on the 32-year-old veteran after 97 plate appearances.
  • Yangervis Solarte (12.0%) – Much like Parra, Solarte was a veteran signed to a minor league deal in February who made the big league team but is now out of the organization.  Solarte received 78 plate appearances.  It should be noted that he’s much more of an infielder by trade.
  • Tyler Austin (10.7%) – A 13th round draft pick of the Yankees in 2010 after serving as a catcher in high school, Austin began seeing significant outfield time in the minors in 2012.  According to Baseball America after that season, Austin combined “physical maturity with athleticism” and ascended to Double-A as well as a 60 grade in their prospect rankings.  He was considered one of the 80 best prospects in the game at the time.  Perhaps with a contribution from a wrist injury, Austin’s status as a prospect took a tumble after he played regularly at Double-A in 2013.  BA still considered Austin “a potential everyday outfielder” after another injury-affected season at that level in 2014.  He started 2015 at Triple-A but was demoted back to Double-A in August, finally getting designated for assignment by the Yankees to make room on the 40-man roster for September call-ups.  Austin passed through waivers at that time.
  • Austin battled his way back to Triple-A in the summer of 2016 and raked in 57 games, finally getting a shot with the big league club alongside Aaron Judge.  A broken foot sidelined Austin in February 2017, and once he was healthy in June, he soon replaced Chris Carter as part of the Yankees’ first base mix.  Soon after, Austin returned to the DL with a hamstring injury.  He spent the rest of 2017 bouncing up and down from Triple-A, but managed to break camp with the big league club in 2018 due to a Greg Bird injury.  At the ’18 trade deadline, the Yankees dealt Austin to the Twins as part of the return for Lance Lynn.  Austin was in the Twins’ DH/first base mix for the rest of that season, but found himself competing for a backup role this season after Minnesota added C.J. Cron and Marwin Gonzalez.  Though he broke camp with the Twins, Austin was quickly designated for assignment in April this year when they needed bullpen help.  The Giants picked him up via trade, and despite a minor elbow injury Austin has hit well in his 47 plate appearances for San Francisco.  Austin has split his time between left field and first base, the latter of which is typically manned by Brandon Belt.  The 27-year-old Austin has struck out a ton but has also showed good power in his scattered 456 big league plate appearances.  He’s out of minor league options and the 17-23 Giants represent a great opportunity for Austin, particularly if Belt is traded this summer.  That said, Austin has started only three of the Giants’ last ten games.
  • Mac Williamson (9.8%) – Williamson was drafted by the Giants out of Wake Forest in the third round in 2012, a known overdraft at the time according to Baseball America.  BA graded Williamson as a 50 prospect, noting huge raw power, questionable contact skills, “surprising athleticism,” and an impressive work ethic.  After a strong 2013 season at High-A, Williamson was upgraded to a 55 grade prospect by BA, but he went down for Tommy John surgery in April 2014.  The injury did little to dim Williamson’s star, and he moved through Double and Triple-A quickly in 2015, earning a September call-up to the Giants.  In need of regular at-bats, Williamson started the 2016 season back at Triple-A.  At the time, BA’s outlook was that “his power and on-base give him a chance to be a useful big leaguer, though his swing is not conducive for a player who plays sporadically.”  Williamson was up and down for much of 2016, hitting the DL in August with a shoulder injury and then in September with a quad injury.  His competition for regular playing time in 2017 was interrupted with another quad injury, and he again bounced up and down from Triple-A to the Giants that year.  Williamson revamped his swing before the 2018 campaign, finding his way back to the Majors before the end of April.  He endured a concussion in late April that effectively ruined his season.  There was a point in March this year when Williamson was the leader for the Giants’ starting left field job, but he was designated for assignment weeks later, which says a lot about the team’s outfield situation.  He cleared waivers, raked at Triple-A for a month, and was re-added to the Giants’ 40-man last week.  Williamson, now 28, has never had an extended period as a starting player for the Giants.  Like Austin, he’s out of minor league options and must make the most of a great opportunity.  He’s said to be getting an “extended look as the starting left fielder,” which in light of Williamson’s recent DFA suggests either that the Giants are very fickle about what constitutes a starter, or they’re just desperate.
  • Connor Joe (9.3%) – Joe was drafted 39th overall out of the University of San Diego by the Pirates in 2014.  He was traded to the Braves for Sean Rodriguez in August 2017, and then to the Dodgers for international pool money the following month.  The Reds snagged Joe in the 2018 Rule 5 draft with an eye on his work at the catcher position, but dealt him to the Giants in March this year.  The Giants gave Joe eight games (including the Opening Day left field nod) before designating him for assignment, and he has now been returned to the Dodgers organization.
  • Mike Gerber (8.2%) – Gerber was drafted by the Tigers in the 15th round out of Creighton in 2014.  Baseball America considered Gerber a “possible late round bargain” after his pro debut.  Though Gerber was old for Low-A in 2015, he hit well and saw his status upgraded to a 50 prospect by BA.  At the time, BA suggested that at least some scouts saw him as a possible big league regular in right field.  Gerber made it to Double-A the following year, and the Tigers saw fit to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.  Gerber spent 2018 moving up and down between Triple-A and the Majors, struggling in his brief big league sample.  The Giants claimed him off waivers in December, but designated him for assignment in January upon signing Drew Pomeranz.  Gerber cleared waivers at the time, began his year with a strong run at Triple-A, and was re-added to the Giants’ 40-man roster on May 3rd.  The 26-year-old was optioned back to Triple-A last week.  The Giants’ actions suggest they see Gerber as a depth piece.
  • Brandon Belt (7.6%) – The veteran Belt has generally played first base, but has dabbled in left field over the years.  Belt, 31, is owed the remainder of his $16MM salary this year plus $32MM from 2020-21.  Though he has a limited no-trade clause, Belt’s contract and recent injury history are the bigger impediments to a deal.
  • Michael Reed (1.7%) – Reed was a fifth-round draft pick by the Brewers in 2011.  Before the 2017 season, Baseball America wrote, “Reed’s ceiling appears to be extra outfielder with on-base ability and speed, though as a right-handed hitter, he will need to shine in those areas to elevate himself above lefthanded candidates for the bench.”  Reed was removed from the Brewers’ 40-man roster that summer and spent time with the Braves in 2018 before being claimed off waivers by the Twins.  The Giants picked him up in a March trade and though he made the Opening Day roster when Williamson was designated for assignment (and started that first game in right field), Reed himself was designated on April 2nd when the club acquired Kevin Pillar.  He remained in the organization on a minor league deal.
  • Breakouts are always possible, but it’s difficult to see anyone who has played left field for the Giants this year as a likely long-term piece.

Center Field

  • Kevin Pillar (82.9%) – The Giants acquired Pillar in a trade with the Blue Jays on April 2nd.  The veteran Pillar is generally known for his glovework, though it seems to have slipped this year in a small sample.  Pillar has always been a below-average hitter.  He’s earning $5.8MM this season and though he’s controllable for 2020, my guess is that he’ll be playing elsewhere.
  • Steven Duggar (17.1%) – Duggar was drafted by the Giants out of Clemson in the sixth round in 2015.  After his pro debut, Baseball America rated Duggar as a 45 prospect with plus speed and a plus arm who had nonetheless disappointed scouts in games to that point.  His star brightened to a 50 grade after a 2016 season that saw Duggar reach Double-A, with BA writing, “Duggar is a premium athlete who is proving he can hit.”  He missed a large chunk of the 2017 season due to hip and elbow injuries, but played in the Arizona Fall League and nearly broke camp with the Giants in 2018.  He got the call in July after the Giants traded Austin Jackson but suffered a shoulder injury in late August.  The injury required season-ending surgery, but Duggar made it back to begin the year as the Giants’ Opening Day center fielder.  So far though Duggar has spent much more time in right field, which makes sense given the Pillar acquisition.  Barring a breakout, Duggar’s bat would really only seem to play in center field.  The acquisition of Pillar, who is not a long-term piece for the Giants, seemingly denies a chance to see whether Duggar can settle in as the team’s everday center fielder.

Right Field

  • Steven Duggar (73.3%) – Duggar has shown well defensively in his 261-inning right field sample this year, but again, the bat profiles in center.
  • Gerardo Parra (19.9%)
  • Michael Reed (3.7%)
  • Mac Williamson (2.5%)
  • Brandon Belt (0.6%)

The Giants’ Most Recent Outfield Acquisition

  • On Saturday, the Giants claimed Aaron Altherr off waivers from the Phillies.  Now 28, Altherr was drafted by the Phillies out of high school in the ninth round a decade ago.  The Fresh Prince of Altherr has shown flashes of brilliance in his 332 game Phillies career, particularly in a 2017 season in which he posted a 121 wRC+ in 107 games.  Altherr was considered a high risk, high reward player when he was drafted.  Like many of the Giants’ outfielders, Altherr is out of minor league options and has a lengthy injury history but could become interesting if he takes advantage of his shot at regular playing time.  The Giants had mostly settled into a Williamson-Pillar-Duggar alignment from left to right, and it remains to be seen how Altherr fits in.

Down On the Farm

  • The Giants have one premium outfield prospect in Heliot Ramos.  However, he’s only at High A plus he’s currently on the IL for an LCL sprain.  According to MLB Pipeline, Ramos’ ETA is 2021.  Prospects Alexander Canario, Jairo Pomares, and Sandro Fabian are also not close to the Majors.
  • At Triple-A, the Giants have the aforementioned Gerber still on the 40-man roster, while Reed would need to be re-added (the Giants’ 40-man roster is currently full).
  • Also on the 40-man is Austin Slater, the Giants’ eighth round draft pick from 2014.  Slater has a good amount of big league experience and he’s playing well at Sacramento.  This year he’s played first base more than anything at Triple-A, and otherwise he’s mostly just a left field option.  He was generally a regular in the Giants’ outfield in the summer of 2017 until sustaining a hip injury and a sports hernia.  Slater was up and down in 2018 and figures to face a similar fate this year.  He’s played five different positions at Triple-A in the early going, but mostly first base.  Slater projected as a second-division regular as of about a year ago, according to Baseball America.
  • The Giants’ Triple-A roster also includes outfielders career minor leaguers Anthony Garcia, Henry Ramos, and Mike Yastrzemski.  While any of them could conceivably help the big league club in a pinch, they’re all at least 27 years old and aren’t considered prospects.
  • The Giants’ Double-A roster includes Chris Shaw, who is on the 40-man roster after a cup of coffee last September.  Shaw, the Giants’ first-round pick in 2015, was said by BA to have “top-of-the-scale raw power” after being drafted.  He’s a below-average defender at left field and first base, according to BA, so his bat will have to carry him.  Shaw was surprisingly demoted to Double-A to start the season, but the 25-year-old still has a chance to help the Giants this year and even carve out a future as a regular.
  • The Giants also have Heath Quinn, Jacob Heyward, and Johneshwy Fargas at Double-A.  Quinn rated as a 45 prospect prior to the season, though he’s struggled in his first 107 plate appearances in trying to make the jump to Double-A.  Jacob Heyward, Jason’s younger brother, rates as just a 40 prospect at MLB Pipeline but is performing well in the early going for the Flying Squirrels.
  • The Giants will draft tenth overall this June, and FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel reported, “The rumor is that this is another pick that will go college, and likely a college hitter, with new Giants GM Farhan Zaidi having prized versatility and defensive value when building the Dodgers.”  So that pick could certainly be used on an outfielder.

It’s early, but Zaidi hasn’t acquitted himself well with regard to his outfield.  After Bryce Harper went to the Phillies, the Giants had something of a blank canvas in the outfield that would ideally allow them to find a diamond in the rough or at least give semi-interesting prospects regular playing time.  Instead both Opening Day corner outfielders are gone, the dalliance with Parra was brief, Williamson went from DFA to starter, Pillar was acquired to push Duggar to right, and now Altherr is in the mix.  There’s actually some real talent in the Giants’ outfield mix, but so far the team hasn’t inspired confidence in how they’re doling out playing time.

Giants Designate Erik Kratz For Assignment

By | at

The Giants announced Monday that they’ve designated veteran catcher Erik Kratz for assignment. The organization will have a week to trade Kratz, release him, or pass him through outright waivers if they still wish to attempt to keep him in the organization.

Kratz, 38, has hit just .125/.222/.281 in his 36 plate appearances as a backup to Buster Posey so far in 2019. The Giants picked up in a spring trade with the Brewers as part of a series of acquisitions aimed at bolstering the organization’s catching depth. However, while Posey is currently on the injured list, San Francisco has seen Stephen Vogt reemerge as an option at the MLB level in addition to the much younger Aramis Garcia.

Kratz become a beloved figure in Milwaukee during his late-season run there last season and has often drawn praise for his leadership and clubhouse presence. He’s never hit much at the big league level (.208/.256/.360), but he does have some pop in his bat, a 32 percent caught-stealing rate in his career and a strong track record a pitch framer (per Baseball Prospectus).

Athletics Designate Kendrys Morales For Assignment

By | at

The Athletics have designate first baseman/designated hitter Kendrys Morales for assignment, manager Bob Melvin announced Monday in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link, with audio). His spot on the active roster will go to Mark Canha, who has been activated from the injured list.

“Unfortunately, we had to let him go,” Melvin said of the decision to designate Morales. “I’ll tell you what, this guy, maybe he didn’t put up great numbers, but this is a terrific teammate. Yesterday, he didn’t play, and there’s a lot of speculation about him going away, and all he’s doing is rooting for every guy we have on every pitch. … Unfortunately, we don’t have room for him right now, and somebody’s going to pick him up. I know that, but boy, we really enjoyed our time with him. He’s a real pro.”

It was indeed a struggle for Morales, 35, during his limited time with the A’s. Oakland acquired him in late March after losing Matt Olson to a hand injury, and Morales saw pretty regular playing time at first base and DH. However, in his 126 plate appearances with the organization, he hit just .204/.310/.259 with one home run.

Morales drew his share of walks and didn’t strike out at a high clip, but the veteran slugger wasn’t able to produce enough at the plate for the organization to consider retaining him as a bench bat now that Olson is back in the lineup. With Olson and Canha both healthy and Khris Davis entrenched at designated hitter, there’s not much of a role in Oakland for Morales at this point.

The Athletics will have a week to trade or release Morales. Though he played the field in Oakland, most clubs will look at him as a pure DH option, so he’s likeliest to land with an American League club. The Indians have been mixing at matching throughout their lineup all season and parted ways with Hanley Ramirez already, while the Twins are evaluating Nelson Cruz for a potential injury. Morales could also latch on with a non-contender who hopes to bring in a veteran leader that can mentor a younger, developing core of players.

Rays, Mets Complete Wilmer Font Trade

By | at

The Rays have acquired right-hander Neraldo Catalina from the Mets as the player to be named later in last week’s trade that sent righty Wilmer Font from Tampa Bay to New York.

Catalina, 18, has yet to pitch in a professional game and hasn’t even been in the Mets organization for one calendar year. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic last July 2 and received a $150K signing bonus at the time, as Baseball America’s Ben Badler recently noted in reviewing the team’s 2018-19 international free-agent class. Badler notes that Catalina is already a massive 6’6″ and 205 pounds with a fastball that reaches 95 mph and a power slider. Obviously, he’s years away from being any kind of factor in the Majors, but he seemingly makes a nice lottery-ticket arm to add to the minor league ranks in Tampa.

Font, 28, has made just one appearance for the Mets since the time of the trade. He tossed four innings in a spot start and allowed a pair of runs on three hits with no walks allowed and one strikeout. He had a tough start to the season with the Rays — nine runs on 15 hits and five walks in 14 innings — but he’s a fairly hard-throwing righty who has seen a substantial uptick in swinging-strike and strikeout rate so far in 2019. Font is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to stick on the Mets’ roster moving forward or else be passed through waivers before he can be sent to the minor leagues.

NL West Notes: Tatis Jr., Giants, Godley

By | at

Though Padres fans are anxiously awaiting the return of Fernando Tatis Jr., it seems he’ll be down for at least another week. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Tatis is not yet even running at full speed. Yesterday was an off-day in the budding superstar’s rehab work, and there’s no definite timeline on his activation.  The 20-year-old Tatis posted an outstanding .300/.360/.550 slash with six homers, five doubles, a triple and six stolen bases through his first 27 games and 111 plate appearances and helped fuel a surprisingly strong April for the upstart Padres. Since Tatis went down with his hamstring injury, San Diego has gone 6-7, though they’ve had a tough schedule that included a four-game set in Atlanta, three games hosting the Dodgers and three games at Coors Field.

More from the NL West…

  • USA Today’s Bob Nightengale spoke to a number of Giants players about the likely rebuild that is on the horizon. The writing has been on the wall in San Francisco for some time now, and many in the clubhouse sound almost resigned to their fate. “It would definitely suck to leave these guys, but it’s a business,” said closer Will Smith — an obvious trade candidate given that he’ll be a free agent at season’s end. “We’ve all pretty much been traded. So, it’s not anything new to us. We’d just hate to see it happen.” Manager Bruce Bochy, who has already announced that he’ll retire after 2019, said he understands whatever path the new front office takes but also voiced that it’d be painful to see a rebuild begin when he won’t be around to see it through. “If you’re in a rebuilding situation, that can be a fun challenge if you’re there for the rebuild,” the skipper stated. “But I’m not going to be here.”
  • Of course, if (or when) the Giants do indeed embark on a sell-off, Madison Bumgarner will be the top piece available. Bumgarner updated his no-trade clause over the winter, and the lefty said this weekend that he did so in order to gain more control over the process in a theoretical trade scenario (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly). While his former list included losing clubs in markets Bumgarner did not want to pitch, he updated the list to reflect eight likely contenders, giving him some leverage when the Giants begin shopping him around. Relievers Smith, Sam Dyson, Tony Watson and Nick Vincent all seem like clear trade candidates in addition to Bumgarner. Smith, Watson and Vincent can all become free agents this winter, while Dyson is only controlled through 2020.
  • The Diamondbacks gave Zack Godley a start Sunday not long after initially pulling him from the rotation, but he only faced the Braves’ lineup one time before being pulled after two scoreless innings. Per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, manager Torey Lovullo said after the game that that pitching plan was “by design,” though it curiously sounds as if that was not communicated to Godley himself. The right-hander didn’t voice any frustration and said he wouldn’t have prepared for the game any differently had he known he’d be used more like an opener, but he also said he simply wasn’t aware of the plan. Godley, in his career, has held opponents to a .225/.298/.320 batting line during his first trip through the lineup, but those numbers soar to .281/.363/.482 on his second trip through the lineup. It’s not clear if the D-backs plan to continue that manner of usage at this time, though yesterday’s results were undoubtedly encouraging.

Braves Giving Prospect Austin Riley Time In The Outfield

By | at

Now that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in the majors, Austin Riley is arguably the game’s best third base prospect, though the Braves have been experimenting with Riley as a left fielder at Triple-A Gwinnett, The Athletic’s David O’Brien writes (subscription required).  Riley has been receiving two starts per week in left field, opening the door for another potential midseason route to Atlanta’s 25-man roster.

While Josh Donaldson can’t be considered a total impediment to Riley at third base given Donaldson’s multiple injuries over the last two seasons, the Braves are surely hoping Donaldson will continue to be healthy and productive throughout 2019 (his only year under contract with the team).  That leaves Riley without an obvious position at the MLB level this year, and his development at the plate has indicated that he is ready for a quick promotion.  Heading into today’s action, Riley had a whopping .309/.386/.691 slash line and 14 homers through his first 153 Triple-A plate appearances.

Riley played exclusively at third base during his first four pro seasons, though he saw some time in the outfield during Spring Training, and has played a handful of games as a left fielder and first baseman at Gwinnett this year.  First base isn’t really an option in Atlanta either with Freddie Freeman entrenched at the position, and of course, the Braves also have a pretty great left field option in Ronald Acuna Jr.

O’Brien mentions the possibility that Riley could up at third base this season after all, should the Braves decide to trade Donaldson if they fall out of the pennant race.  If the Braves remain in the NL East hunt, however, another possibility would be to use Riley in left field while shifting Acuna to center field in place of the struggling Ender Inciarte.  It has been a rough start to the year for Inciarte, who is hitting only .218/.295/.323 through 139 PA.  It has been a few years since Inciarte has been anything more than a league-average hitter, though even more troubling is his defensive dropoff — his usually outstanding center field glove has produced a -4.3 UZR/150 and zero Defensive Runs Saved through 290 innings.

Tigers Notes: Castellanos, Harrison, Hardy

By | at

As Tigers legend Lou Whitaker celebrates his 62nd birthday today, let’s look at some news from Motown…

  • Trade rumors have swirled around Nicholas Castellanos for well over a year, and the outfielder admitted to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News that he has been left feeling “uneasy” from the constant speculation.  The piece provides an interesting look into the mindset of a player who knows he is in something of a limbo state, no longer in the long term plans of the team with whom he has spent his entire pro career.  “You do everything you can to not let it affect you. If I am going to say it doesn’t affect me, I’d be lying,” Castellanos said.  “I’d be giving you a media answer. The only thing I can control is going out and handling my business for me and take each at-bat the best I can for me.  And in doing that, I can help the team win.”  Whereas Castellanos embraced a face-of-the-franchise type of responsibility as a public and private team leader last season, McCosky notes that Castellanos has somewhat stepped back from those duties in 2019.  “He’s knows he’s a lame-duck right fielder, and as such no longer HAS the obligation or the right to play that role,” McCosky writes.
  • Josh Harrison will return from the injured list prior to tomorrow’s game, as per a team announcement.  The Tigers have already optioned Harold Castro back to Triple-A in order to create a 25-man roster spot.  Harrison has spent two weeks on the IL recovering from a left shoulder contusion.  The infielder signed a one-year, $2MM deal with Detroit over the winter and has often been mentioned as a possible deadline trade chip, though Harrison will first need to greatly improve on his .156/.212/.233 slash line from his first 99 PA in a Tigers uniform.
  • The Tigers activated left-hander Blaine Hardy from the injured list on Saturday, though as Hardy told the Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other media, he isn’t entirely recovered from the left flexor tendinitis that shelved him for over two weeks.  “I have a feeling it’s something I’m going to have to learn to pitch through,” Hardy said.  “It’s just at a point now where it’s not affecting my pitching….You have to be able to get through those times when you don’t feel 100 percent, whether it’s from sickness, minor injury or tendinitis. The majority of the guys up here have done it before and know how to deal with it.”  Pitching through such an injury carries risk, of course, though Hardy said that “I don’t think, from what everybody’s telling me, that [surgery] is the route this is going.”  The southpaw got off to a rocky start (5.54 ERA in 13 innings) this season, a year removed from posting from quality numbers as a swingman in Detroit’s pitching staff.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/12/19

By and | at

Keeping up with this weekend’s minor moves…

Latest transactions:

  • The Pirates outrighted left-hander Tyler Lyons to Triple-A Indianapolis, as per MLB.com’s official transactions page.  Lyons cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.  This is the second time in as many seasons that Lyons has been outrighted, as he was also removed from the Cardinals’ 40-man roster last August in the midst of an injury-plagued year that saw Lyons post an 8.64 ERA over 16 2/3 frames for St. Louis.  After signing a minors deal with Pittsburgh over the winter, Lyons didn’t turn things around in a brief stint for the Bucs, with an 11.25 ERA over four Major League innings.  The southpaw did perform better in Triple-A, however, and will head back to the farm to try and recapture the form that made him a solid-to-very good bullpen piece for the Cardinals from 2013-17.

Earlier today:

  • The Tigers outrighted right-hander Drew VerHagen to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday after he cleared waivers, per a team announcement. Because VerHagen has been outrighted in the past, he could have declined the assignment. He chose to accept it, however, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. Detroit kicked VerHagen off its 40-man roster again last weekend when it designated him for assignment after a calamitous performance versus Kansas City. The Royals pounded VerHagen for six earned runs on five hits and three walks in one inning, contributing to the 28-year-old’s hefty 15.00 ERA across six frames this season. VerHagen entered the year with a sub-5.00 ERA/FIP across 141 major league innings, though, and has been a useful arm at the Triple-A level.
  • The Diamondbacks have released infielder Kelby Tomlinson from his minor-league deal, reports MLBTR’s own Steve Adams. After signing with the D-Backs last offseason, Tomlinson has posted just a .596 OPS at the Triple-A level in 2019, failing to crack the big league roster, which would have earned him a $850K salary. In a Major League career spanning parts of four seasons, the 29-year-old owns a career .265/.331/.332 slash line to go with 19 stolen bases. Though the numbers are not especially impressive, Tomlinson is capable of handling three infield positions and played sparingly in left field with the Giants.

NL West Notes: Giants, Altherr, Anderson, Cordero, Jankowski

By | at

Yesterday’s news that Derek Holland was being moved to the Giants bullpen came with some eyebrow-raising comments from the left-hander, who was critical of the front office’s decision and claimed that his April 29 injured list placement due to a bruised index finger was a “fake injury.”  Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said Saturday that Holland’s injury was legitimate, and further discussed the matter today with reporters (including Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group).  “I think every organization would like to create an environment where guys feel comfortable talking about their concerns in-house,” Zaidi said.  “To the extent guys don’t feel comfortable, that’s on me. Maybe I haven’t been around as much as I should be.”  The entire situation, Zaidi intimated, could be due to the shared displeasure between the front office and the players over the Giants’ lackluster start to the season: “If we’re 23-16, I don’t think we’d be sitting in this room right now. I understand it. I’m as frustrated as anybody. But again, I want us to have a culture of accountability where people are looking in the mirror and asking what they can do better.”

More from around the NL West…

  • The Giants claimed Aaron Altherr from the Phillies yesterday, though the outfielder has been on San Francisco’s radar for a while.  According to NBC Sports.com’s Alex Pavlovic, the Giants first asked the Phils about Altherr two months ago, when Bryce Harper’s arrival created a surplus in the Philadelphia outfield.  Giants skipper Bruce Bochy said Altherr’s arrival won’t impact Mac Williamson’s status as the team’s regular left fielder, as Williamson will be given an extended look as an everyday player.  Altherr, meanwhile, “be eased in,” Pavlovic writes, both because Altherr hasn’t played much in recent weeks and because Altherr has struggled since the start of the 2018 season.
  • Rockies southpaw Tyler Anderson will have his bothersome left knee examined by a specialist on Monday, manager Bud Black told the Denver Post’s Sean Keeler and other media.  Anderson missed two weeks in April due to knee inflammation, and he been hit hard in five starts this season (an 11.76 ERA over 20 2/3 IP).  He was optioned to Triple-A in the wake of another rough outing on May 3, though Anderson hasn’t since pitched.  Anderson emerged as a solid, if unspectacular, innings-eater for Colorado last season, with a 4.55 ERA and league-high 30 homers over 176 frames.
  • In other injury updates, Franchy Cordero and Travis Jankowski aren’t expected to return to the Padres’ active roster anytime soon, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.  Cordero has begun to hit in the batting cage, though “the work is limited” as Cordero continues to recover from an elbow sprain that has kept him on the IL since April 9.  Jankowski has yet to play this season after breaking his right wrist in early March, and the injury “is not healing as fast as anticipated.”  Jankowski was originally estimated for a three-month IL stint, though it doesn’t seem as though he’ll meet that timeline.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top