Giants Release Abiatal Avelino; Latest On Drew Smyly
The Giants have released infielder Abiatal Avelino, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He had been part of the Giants’ alternate training site.
The 25-year-old Avelino – whom San Francisco acquired from the Yankees in a 2018 trade centering on Andrew McCutchen – had brief stints with the Giants in each of the previous two seasons, during which he totaled five hits (all singles) in 19 plate appearances. Avelino has garnered far more experience in Triple-A, though he also hasn’t been a world-beater there, evidenced by his .266/.302/.402 slash with 15 home runs across 873 trips to the plate.
In other Giants news, manager Gabe Kapler announced to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area and other reporters that the team could activate left-hander Drew Smyly from the injured list on Wednesday or Thursday. Smyly, whom the Giants signed to a $4MM guarantee in the offseason, has only made three appearances this year and hasn’t pitched since Aug. 1 on account of a strained left index finger. Before that, the 31-year-old threw 8 1/3 innings of three-run ball with 11 strikeouts and four walks, and he averaged a career-best 93.4 mph on his fastball. Two of Smyly’s three outings this season have come as a starter, but it’s unclear whether he’ll return to the playoff-contending Giants’ rotation when he comes back.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/16/20
The latest minor moves from around the game…
- The Giants outrighted infielder Abiatal Avelino off their 40-man roster and assigned him to their alternate training site. (Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group was among those to report the transaction.) Avelino cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. The 25-year-old Avelino recorded 19 plate appearances over 10 games with the Giants in 2018-19, and was originally acquired from the Yankees as part of the Andrew McCutchen trade in August 2018. Avelino has been touted for his defensive ability as a middle infielder, and his bat hasn’t been unproductive over 3201 minor league plate appearances — .272/.328/.385 slash line with 43 homers, plus 189 steals from 245 attempts.
Giants Designate Travis Bergen, Recall Abiatal Avelino
The Giants have designated left-handed pitcher Travis Bergen for assignment and have recalled infielder Abiatal Avelino, according to Maria Guardado of MLB.com.
Bergen, 25, was selected by the Giants in last December’s Rule 5 Draft after spending the first four years of his professional career in the Blue Jays organization. If he clears waivers, the Giants will need to offer him back to his former employer—of course, the Blue Jays are not required to accept Bergen back into the fold, in which case the Giants could keep Bergen in their organization.
In his first taste of Major League action, Bergen has appeared in 21 games for the Giants, striking out 18 batters in 19 2/3 innings. Those numbers have in part led to a 5.55 FIP, which backs his overall 5.49 ERA. With Bergen no longer on the roster, top prospect Logan Webb looks like a good bet to stick around for an extended look, especially after an impressive debut.
Meanwhile, Avelino is slated to make his first big league appearance of 2019 after a six-game Major League stint in September of 2018. One of the fruits of the trade that sent Andrew McCutchen to the Yankees, the 24-year-old Avelino has spent the entire season in Triple-A. With a .771 season OPS, he’s regarded as the Giants’ No. 27 prospect by MLB Pipeline, which touts his arm strength from the shortstop position and his defensive versatility.
Giants Select Abiatal Avelino, Transfer Jeff Samardzija To 60-Day DL
6:20pm: The Giants announced that right-hander Jeff Samardzija is headed to the 60-day DL to open a roster spot for Avelino. The move doesn’t necessarily end Samardzija’s season, given how long he’s already spent on the disabled list, though there’s no immediate indication that he’s close to returning. Schulman tweets that doctors have “ruled out” surgery, but Samardzija is continuing to get additional opinions in an effort to find the cause of the ongoing inflammation in his shoulder and a better means of preventing it down the road.
12:45pm: The Giants are set to select the contract of infielder Abiatal Avelino, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links). Also coming onto the active roster is outfielder Ryder Jones, who already held a 40-man spot, Schulman adds on Twitter.
Avelino, 23, was just acquired in the late-August deal that sent veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen to the Yankees. He would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft this fall, which helps explain his inclusion in the trade and today’s promotion decision.
With the move, the Giants will get a brief look at Avelino in the majors while also providing some rest opportunities for veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford down the stretch. After turning in a strong performance to open the year at the Double-A level for the Yanks, Avelino has struggled at the highest level of the minors. Still, he is a reputedly promising defender in the middle infield who showed newfound pop in 2018.