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Cal Stevenson

Phillies Release Cal Stevenson, Activate Aaron Nola

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The Phillies announced this morning that they’ve released center fielder Cal Stevenson. It had not been previously reported that Stevenson was placed on waivers, but he evidently must have cleared waivers will now head into free agency. Stevenson could not be outrighted to the minor leagues after being placed on the minor league injured list earlier this week.

Stevenson’s departure from the 40-man roster makes room for Aaron Nola’s return from the 60-day injured list. Nola will take the active roster spot of Zack Wheeler, who was placed on the injured list with a blood clot yesterday. In addition, the Phillies announced that third baseman Alec Bohm has been activated from the 10-day injured list. Bohm will take the roster spot of utility man Otto Kemp, who has been optioned to Triple-A. Both Bohm and Nola’s returns to action were previously reported last week.

Stevenson, 29 next month, was a tenth-round pick by the Blue Jays back in 2018. He’s played in parts of four MLB seasons but has yet to establish himself as more than a depth option. He made his big league debut in Oakland back in 2022 and moved on to San Francisco for the 2023 campaign before spending each of the past two seasons with the Phillies. In Philadelphia, Stevenson has appeared in just 23 games and been used primarily as a bench piece when on the roster. At the plate, he’s gone 8-for-32 with three walks, six strikeouts, and three doubles between the past two seasons. A career .178/.276/.238 hitter in 118 big league plate appearances, Stevenson has spent most of this season playing for Triple-A LeHigh Valley with middling offensive numbers.

Now that he’s a free agent, he’ll have the opportunity to sign with any of the league’s 30 clubs or perhaps look at opportunities outside of affiliated ball. The specifics of Stevenson’s injury aren’t known, and if it’s a significant one it’s possible he’ll go unsigned over the final weeks of the season before looking to find a new club for the 2026 campaign. A skilled defensive center fielder with 22 steals in the minors this year, he should garner at least some interest as a depth option for teams in need of center field help.

As for Nola and Bohm, both have been out of commission for quite some time. Bohm missed about a month due to due a fractured rib, and while his 98 wRC+ doesn’t look like much it’s worth noting he was hitting a far more robust .299/.360/.410 in his final 150 plate appearances before heading to the injured list. Nola, meanwhile, last pitched in May due to an ankle injury and a stress reaction in his rib cage. His nine starts prior to hitting the injured list weren’t pretty, as he allowed a 6.16 ERA with a 5.05 FIP in 49 2/3 innings of work. Some of that is due to a 3 2/3 inning, nine-run blowup immediately before his placement on the IL, but he allowed four or more earned runs in five of his nine starts prior to the injury. A healthy and effective return from both players would do a lot to help the Phillies get ready for the postseason, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding Wheeler’s availability going forward.

As for Kemp, the utility man made his big league debut with the Phillies earlier this year and has gotten into 46 games so far while splitting time between the infield corners and left field. He’s slashed just .228/.298/.359 in 161 plate appearance, but his versatility and decent numbers (.740 OPS) against left-handed pitching make him a solid depth option for the club to have at Triple-A going forward.

Phillies Place Brandon Marsh On Injured List With Hamstring Strain

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The Phillies announced this morning that they’ve placed outfielder Brandon Marsh on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. Outfielder Cal Stevenson was recalled to the MLB roster in a corresponding move.

Marsh, 27, has struggled badly to open his fourth season as a Phillie. Once a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport, Marsh found himself limited to part-time duties when he arrived in the majors with the Angels due to a crowded outfield mix that included Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Mike Trout, and Justin Upton at the time. That eventually led the Angels to be comfortable dealing Marsh to the Phillies in exchange for well-regarded catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe. It’s a deal that’s generally worked out for both sides, as O’Hoppe has blossomed into one of the top young catchers in the sport with Anaheim while Marsh has been able to fill a vacancy in the Phillies outfield over the years.

From the moment he first suited up for the Phillies, Marsh has been a quality player for the club. When the 2024 season wrapped up, Marsh carried a career .266/.346/.440 slash line (116 wRC+) in a Phillies uniform. That’s strong production for an offensively inclined center fielder, and when looking specifically at his work against right-handed pitching Marsh has posted an even more impressive .281/.362/.489 (128 wRC+) over the years. Marsh has always come with his flaws, however. Notably, he strikes out more than 30% of the time and has never been much of an effective option against fellow southpaws, with a 70 wRC+ against same-handed pitching as a Phillie entering this year.

Unfortunately, things have taken a nose dive in the early going this year. Marsh has slashed just .095/.220/.167 in his first 17 games (51 at-bats) this year while striking out at a 31.4% clip. While he’s maintained a strong 13.7% walk rate, Marsh’s high strikeout rate, lack of power production, and .115 BABIP have combined to make him one of the least productive regulars in baseball this year. Marsh hasn’t recorded a hit since March 30, and given that protracted slump it’s hardly a surprise that the Phillies took the opportunity to get Marsh a bit of a reset when he tweaked his leg in the outfield earlier this week. He hasn’t played since that incident occurred on April 16, and now will sit down for at least another week. Once Marsh’s hamstring is feeling up to snuff, the 27-year-old will have the opportunity to get some reps in against Triple-A pitching on a rehab assignment before returning to the majors and looking to get his season back on track.

While Marsh is out of the picture, everyday duties in center field will fall to Johan Rojas. The 24-year-old is off to a hot start in a part-time role this year, slashing .345/.406/.414 over his first 12 games. He hit quite well in a limited look during his debut year of 2023 but struggled when given an expanded role last year, hitting just .243/.379/.322 in 120 games. Marsh’s injury will provide Rojas with the opportunity to prove himself capable of performing as a regular in the outfield, though the lefty-swinging Stevenson was promoted to the majors as a potential backup option should it be necessary. The 28-year-old has just 47 games of big league experience under his belt between Oakland, San Francisco, and Philadelphia but posted league average numbers in a brief 18-game stint with the Phillies last year. Stevenson has struggled at Triple-A this season, however, with a .192/.328/.289 slash line that suggests he’ll most likely be limited to a pure depth role for the time being.

Weston Wilson Out At Least Six Weeks Due To Oblique Strain

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Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Matt Gelb of The Athletic) today that infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson has been diagnosed with a strained oblique that will keep him out of action for at least the next six weeks.

Wilson, 30, was widely viewed as the favorite for the final spot on Philadelphia’s Opening Day bench. Either Rafael Marchan or Garrett Stubbs will occupy one spot as the club’s backup catcher behind J.T. Realmuto, while Edmundo Sosa and Johan Rojas are locked into bench spots already as well. Wilson appeared to be a likely candidate for that final spot due to his right-handed bat that could serve as a complement for Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh in the outfield, as well as his ability to play all four corners and even second base as needed.

The 30-year-old’s big league opportunities have been fairly limited to this point in his career, but the club will surely miss his bat off the bench. Wilson’s done nothing but hit when given the opportunity in the majors, slashing .288/.375/.490 (139 wRC+) for his career including 98 plate appearances last year where he slashed .284/.347/.489 (130 wRC+). Wilson’s career .388 BABIP has propped up his production somewhat to this point, and it’s certain to come down as he gets more opportunities in the majors. With that being said, even the 110 wRC+ Wilson posted at Triple-A last year would be an asset on a Philadelphia bench that lacks much offensive presence.

Unfortunately for Wilson and the Phillies, they won’t get the opportunity to see what he can do as part of the bench mix to open the season. With Wilson now off the table as an option, an opportunity has been created for other players to step into the role. Center fielder Cal Stevenson offered decent production at the plate (100 wRC+) in a brief cup of coffee with the Phillies last year, but his left-handed bat would be somewhat redundant in the club’s outfield mix and he lacks the versatility to play the infield. If the club was going to add a lefty bat to its bench mix, Kody Clemens would seem to be the more natural fit given his experience at all four infield spots and the outfield corners as well as his decent showing in 120 plate appearances with the Phillies last year. While he hit just .219 with a lackluster .258 on-base percentage during that time, he showed plenty of pop with five homers, nine doubles, and a triple that allowed him to post a decent 92 wRC+ overall.

Of course, replacing Wilson with another righty bat would likely make the most sense. Gelb suggests that the injury to Wilson figures to “considerably” improve the odds that 26-year-old infielder Buddy Kennedy makes the club’s Opening Day roster, and it’s not hard to see why. A fifth-round pick by the Diamondbacks in 2017, Kennedy made his big league debut back in 2022 and split 2024 between the Tigers and Phillies organizations. He hit .190/.308/.381 (95 wRC+) in 26 big league plate appearances last year, but more important than his performance in that small sample size was his excellent work for the Phillies at Triple-A Lehigh Valley last year.

In 300 plate appearances, Kennedy slashed an excellent .294/.400/.500 with a 13.7% walk rate that nearly matched his strikeout rate of just 15.0%. If Kennedy can offer anything close to that level of plate discipline in a bench role, he’d be a very valuable bench piece for the club this season. Kennedy has played exclusively second and third base to this point in the majors but has experience at first, shortstop, and left field in the minors. That at least leaves the door open for the club to rely on him as a right-handed complement to Kepler in left field, which likely would’ve been Wilson’s most prominent role.

While it seems likely that the Phillies would prefer to give the final bench job to one of the hitters already on their 40-man roster, there are at least a handful of non-roster invitees who could receive consideration for a bench job. Second baseman Christian Arroyo had some success in the majors with the Red Sox in 2021 and ’22, while outfielder Oscar Mercado has had intermittent success in the majors with Cleveland and St. Louis in the past. Both players are less versatile than what the club may be looking for off the bench, however, and other non-roster veterans like Rodolfo Castro have fairly limited track records in the majors themselves.

Phillies Make Six Roster Moves

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TODAY: Hall and Castillo cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A, the Phillies announced.

AUGUST 9: The Phillies announced a series of roster moves today. Outfielder Austin Hays has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 8, with a left hamstring strain. Left-hander Kolby Allard was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. To take those two roster spots, the club selected outfielder Cal Stevenson and right-hander Max Lazar. To open 40-man spots for those two, first baseman Darick Hall and righty Max Castillo have been designated for assignment.

Hays left Wednesday’s game with left hamstring tightness, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com on X. It’s unclear how long he is expected to be out of action, but it seems the Phils will have to progress for at least a week without their recent outfield upgrade. Acquired from the Orioles prior to the deadline, Hays hit .263/.282/.395 and stole two bases in his first ten games with Philadelphia but will now sit on the shelf for a while.

The club still has Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh, Johan Rojas and Weston Wilson in the outfield mix but will bolster that group with Stevenson. Now 27, he was claimed off waivers from the Giants in May of last year but then was outrighted off the Phillies’ roster the following month.

He’s spent all of this year putting up great numbers at the Triple-A level. In 91 games for the IronPigs, he’s hit seven home runs and drawn walks at a massive 16.4% clip while limiting his strikeouts to a 16.7% strikeout rate. His .307/.420/.488 batting line translates to a 138 wRC+ and he’s also stolen 27 bases while lining up at all three outfield spots.

Stevenson has put up strong numbers in the minors before but struggled in limited major league looks. He has 29 big league games under his belt at this point, with the Giants and Athletics, but he hit just .145/.259/.188 in those contests. If things click this time around, he still has one option remaining and he won’t be able to get to one year of service time this season, meaning he could be retained well into the future at minimal cost.

But getting Stevenson onto the roster seems to have cost Hall his spot. He has done some exciting stuff at the plate in the past but is not having his best year. He’s spent the entire season in Triple-A and does have 12 home runs, but his .248/.324/.402 line translates to an 86 wRC+ in the strong offensive environment of the International League this year.

Hall is in his final option year and therefore will be out of options in 2025. Even before this year’s struggles, he didn’t have a path to playing time in Philadelphia with Bryce Harper at first base and Kyle Schwarber in the designated hitter slot. With less roster flexibility next year, he was going to have a hard time hanging onto his roster spot going forward, so the Phils have nudged him off today.

With the trade deadline now passed, they will have no choice but to put him on waivers in the coming days. Clubs may be interested based on his past performance. From 2021 to 2023, he hit 60 home runs in 297 minor league games, walked at an 11.1% clip and had a 21.1% strikeout rate. His combined .261/.351/.486 batting line translated to a 117 wRC+. He can be kept on optional assignment for the rest of this year but will be out of options next year and has no defensive versatility as a first base/DH only player.

The club also made a switch on the pitching side, giving Lazar his first major league call. Drafted by the Brewers back in 2017, he climbed as high as Double-A but didn’t get the major league call by the end of 2023 and qualified for minor league free agency.

The Phillies signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason and have been watching him post great results. In 40 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, he has a 1.79 earned run average, 33.8% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. Those impressive numbers get him up to the Philly bullpen and he’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Castillo, 25, was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in February. Like Hall, he is in his final option year and may been running out of time. Claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in February, he has been providing the Phils with some starting depth but the results haven’t been there this year. In 52 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, he has a 7.62 ERA, 16.4% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate.

The Phils will have to put him on waivers in a few days. As recently as last year, he seemed like a capable up-and-down arm, as he posted a 4.43 ERA in the majors with the Royals and a 4.58 ERA at the Triple-A level, but it’s obviously been a different story this year. Between Castillo and Hall, neither has a previous career outright nor three years of big league service time. If either of them clear waivers, they would stick with the Phils as non-roster depth.

Phillies Outright Cal Stevenson

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The Phillies announced that outfielder Cal Stevenson, who was designated for assignment last week, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Stevenson, 26, has already been a part of a half dozen organizations in his short career. Drafted by the Blue Jays in 2018, he went to the Astros in the 2019 Derek Fisher trade, then to the Rays as part of the 2020 Austin Pruitt deal and to the A’s in the Christian Bethancourt trade. The A’s added him to their roster last season but designated him for assignment in mid-April of this year. He was then flipped to the Giants for cash but put on waivers a couple of weeks ago and landed with the Phillies.

Amid all of those transactions, Stevenson got into 29 major league games, 23 with the A’s last year and 6 with the Giants this year. He walked in 13.3% of his 83 plate appearances but also struck out in 30.1% of them and slashed just .145/.259/.188. But he continued to draw interest based on his strong work in the minors. In Triple-A last year, split between different organizations, he had a 14.7% walk rate and 17.6% strikeout rate while hitting .284/.389/.412. He also stole 16 bases and played all three outfield spots.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t gotten into a groove this year while bouncing from club to club, hitting .208/.344/.273 in 93 Triple-A plate appearances in 2023 so far. That production likely helped him pass through waivers unclaimed. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, he won’t have the ability to elect free agency. That will allow the Phils to retain him as a bit of non-roster outfield depth as he tries to earn his way back to the big leagues.

Phillies Designate Cal Stevenson For Assignment

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The Phillies announced Thursday that they’ve designated outfielder Cal Stevenson for assignment. He’d only just been claimed off waivers last week, but with Alec Bohm heading to the injured list — as was reported this morning — the team needed to open a roster spot to select the contract of infielder Drew Ellis from Triple-A.

The 26-year-old Stevenson was a tenth-round pick by the Blue Jays in 2018 and has already thrice been traded in his professional career: from Toronto to Houston in the Derek Fisher deal, from Houston to Tampa Bay for Austin Pruitt, and from Tampa Bay to Oakland for Christian Bethancourt. He’s now on his third DFA of the 2023 season alone, having gone from Oakland to San Francisco to the Phillies via that process. Stevenson has had minimal big league experience, both this season (0-for-12 in San Francisco) and in his young career (.145/.259/.188 in 83 plate appearances).

Down in the minors, he’s been a much more productive hitter. Stevenson touts a .267/.378/.380 batting line with seven home runs and 21 steals in 26 attempts. He’s walked at a hefty 15% clip in Triple-A against a lower-than-average 19.5% strikeout rate. Stevenson can play all three outfield spots, though the bulk of his work has come in center field. The Phils likely claimed him in hopes of rostering a true fourth outfield option while the injured Cristian Pache mends, but health concerns elsewhere on the roster prompted them to quickly change course.

The Phillies will have a week to trade Stevenson or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. Given his defensive abilities, on-base track record and remaining minor league options, there’s a decent chance that another team in need of some outfield depth will take a look at Stevenson, either via a small trade or a waiver claim. If the Phils can succeed in passing him through waivers, however, they’d be able to retain him in Triple-A as a depth option. Stevenson doesn’t have the service time or prior outright needed to reject an outright assignment.

Phillies Claim Cal Stevenson

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The Phillies announced Friday that they’ve claimed outfielder Cal Stevenson off waivers from the Giants. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia transferred Rule 5 right-hander Noah Song from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Stevenson originally came to the Giants from the A’s, coming over in exchange for cash. He went hitless in 12 plate appearances as a Giant and has just a .145/.259/.188 slash in 83 trips to the plate at the big league level. That’s an unsightly look, of course, but it comes in a tiny sample.

Down in the minors, he’s been a much more productive hitter. Stevenson touts a .271/.382/.386 batting line with seven home runs and 21 steals in 26 attempts. He’s walked at a hefty 15% clip in Triple-A against a lower-than-average 18.2% strikeout rate. Stevenson can play all three outfield spots, though the bulk of his work has come in center field.

The Phils don’t necessarily have a dire outfield need, with Kyle Schwarber, breakout 25-year-old Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos lining up from left to right, respectively. However, with Cristian Pache on the mend from surgery to repair a meniscus tear, Philadelphia also doesn’t have a true fourth outfielder. Veteran utilityman Josh Harrison is no stranger to the outfield corners, and rookie infielder/outfielder Dalton Guthrie has spent time in center field. However, Guthrie has more experience on the infield than in the outfield. Stevenson will give the Phillies a pure fourth outfield option who carries nearly 1800 professional innings of experience in center, plus another 1300 in the corners.

Giants Select Patrick Bailey, Designate Cal Stevenson

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The Giants announced a flurry of roster moves Friday, headlined by their selection of catcher Patrick Bailey’s contract from Triple-A Sacramento. San Francisco also selected the contract of righty Ryan Walker, designated outfielder Cal Stevenson for assignment and placed both catcher Joey Bart (groin strain) and right-hander Ross Stripling (back strain) on the 10-day and 15-day injured lists. Stevenson’s DFA opens one 40-man roster spot for Bailey, and a second was opened by recalling outfielder Heliot Ramos from Sacramento and placing him on the Major League 60-day injured list with a strained right oblique.

Bailey, 23, was the Giants’ top pick in the 2020 draft, coming off the board with the No. 13 overall selection. He had a decent debut campaign in their system a year later, batting a combined .265/.366/.429 across the Giants’ Rookie-ball, Low-A and High-A affiliates. He struggled at the final of those three stops (.185/.290/.296), but Bailey returned to High-A in 2022 and posted an improved .225/.342/.419 output. It still wasn’t a great showing, but the Giants moved him up to Double-A in 2023 anyhow, and he responded with a .333/.400/.481 slash in 14 games before being promoted again to Triple-A.

Bailey’s bat has again struggled following that quick promotion, but he’ll be aggressively promoted even further now that Bart is sidelined with an injury. Baseball America ranked him 27th among Giants farmhands heading into the season, lauding his defensive aptitude — specifically his receiving and blocking skills (though he also sports a strong 31% caught-stealing rate in the minors). The switch-hitting Bailey has struggled mightily from the right side of the dish in pro ball, hitting below .200 with just two of his 25 career home runs coming from that side of the dish.

Walker, 27, was the Giants’ 31st-rounder back in 2018. He’s never ranked among the organization’s top prospects but has steadily posted above-average numbers throughout his minor league tenure. He opened the 2023 season in Sacramento — his second Triple-A stint — and has come roaring out of the gates with 20 1/3 innings of 0.89 ERA ball. He’s punched out 31.1% of his opponents this season, has induced grounders at a 50% clip and has yet to surrender a home run. His 10.8% walk rate is higher than the Giants would like to see, but command hasn’t been a recurring issue, as evidenced by a career 7.7% walk rate in parts of five pro seasons.

The Giants acquired the 26-year-old Stevenson from the A’s in exchange for cash earlier this year and called him up to the big leagues when Mike Yastrzemski hit the injured list. He’s gone hitless in 12 plate appearances and is now a .145/.259/.188 hitter in a still-small sample of 83 Major League plate appearances. Stevenson’s track record in Triple-A is far, far better. He’s appeared in 101 games at the top minor league level and turned in a .271/.382/.386 line with seven homers while going 21-for-26 in stolen bases and walking nearly as often as he’s punched out (15% vs. 18.2%). He’s primarily been a center fielder but has experience in both corners. The Giants have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.

As for the slate of injuries announced by San Francisco, none had been heavily foreshadowed. Bart suited up behind the plate for the Giants’ most recent game — his eighth start at catcher in nine games — and went 1-for-3. He’s hitting just .237/.286/.295 on the season and has yet to solidify himself as the franchise catcher the organization envisioned when selecting him with the No. 2 overall pick back in 2018. Bailey’s ascension to the big leagues could put extra pressure on Bart, who’s in his final minor league option year in 2023.

Stripling signed a two-year, $25MM deal over the winter — one that allows him to opt back into free agency at season’s end. His early performance with the Giants makes that overwhelmingly unlikely. In 32 1/3 frames, the right-hander has been torched for a 7.24 ERA, thanks largely to a stunning 10 home runs surrendered in that time. Stripling excelled with the Blue Jays in 2022, pitching to a 3.01 ERA across 134 1/3 frames and allowing just 12 home runs in that time. It’s not clear at this time whether his back has been troubling him throughout the season, though that would certainly explain some of the right-hander’s astronomical downturn.

Ramos, meanwhile, had gone on the minor league injured list a bit more than a week ago, though there’d been no indication he was looking at an absence of this length. The former first-round pick (No. 19 overall in 2017) has struggled badly in 18 big league games dating back to last season, slashing just .152/.205/.196 in 49 trips to the plate. He hasn’t yet found his stride in Triple-A either, batting a combined .244/.313/.367 in a very hitter-friendly setting. He’s been a bit better so far in 2023, batting .262/.333/.385 in 75 plate appearances there, but his generally lackluster minor league performance has begun to obfuscate his long-term role with the club.

Giants Place Brandon Crawford, Mike Yastrzemski On IL

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4:50pm: Crawford provided a few more details to members of the media, including Slusser (Twitter links). He said his own MRI showed his strain to be worse than he thought but he still expects to return after a minimum stint on the IL. He also says that Yastrzemski’s strain is of the Grade 1 variety, or the least severe.

4:30pm: The Giants announced a few roster moves prior to tonight’s game, with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle among those to relay them on Twitter. Outfielder Cal Stevenson and infielder Brett Wisely were recalled from Triple-A to take the spots of shortstop Brandon Crawford and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, who have both been placed on the 10-day injured list. Crawford’s move, which is retroactive to April 30, is due to a right calf strain whereas Yastrzemski is dealing with a left hamstring strain.

The club hasn’t provided timelines for either player, but these moves will mean the Giants will play at least the next little while without two of their lineup regulars. Crawford, 36, has been the club’s shortstop for over a decade now, having taking over the job back in 2011. He’s long been considered a strong defender and has had seasons where he’s been an above-average performer on both sides of the ball. The most recent of those was 2021, where he hit .298/.373/.522 for a wRC+ of 138. Towards the end of that season, with Crawford headed for the open market, he and the club agreed on a two-year, $32MM extension to keep him around.

Though the Giants eventually won 107 games that year, things haven’t gone as well since, both for the club or for Crawford personally. He hit .231/.308/.344 last year for a wRC+ of 87 while making multiple trips to the injured list, with the Giants eventually finishing 81-81. This year, he’s hitting just .169/.244/.352 for a wRC+ of 63 as the club is out to a rough 11-16 start in the early going. He experienced some calf tightness on Saturday and didn’t play in yesterday’s game.

As for Yastrzemski, he departed yesterday’s game with the hamstring strain and was reported to be undergoing an MRI, so it’s not surprising to see he’ll be taking a bit of a breather here. He had a bit of a down year at the plate in 2022, hitting .214/.305/.392 for a wRC+ of 99, but he he’d been off to a great start here in 2023. His current batting line is .292/.333/.521, which translated to a wRC+ of 131. That strong stretch of play will now but put on hold for an undetermined amount of time.

Taking their place will be Wisely and Stevenson. The former has been up and down for the Giants a few times already this season, but Stevenson will be making his debut with the club whenever he gets into a game. He was acquired from the Athletics a couple of weeks ago but has been kept in Triple-A since then. He made his major league debut with the A’s last year but hit just .167/.261/.217 in 23 games. He has a much nicer batting line of .288/.392/.415 in Triple-A dating back to the start of 2022.

With Crawford sitting out yesterday’s game, the club used Thairo Estrada at short and will likely keep him there for the time being. He’s off to a torrid start this year, hitting .346/.393/.529 while playing a lot of second base. His move should leave the keystone open for someone like David Villar, though he’s sitting on a line of .156/.258/.351 at the moment. A .174 batting average on balls in play suggests positive regression is forthcoming, but they could look to other options. There’s also Wilmer Flores, who has been primarily at the corners this year but has plenty of second base experience in previous seasons. Wisely is primarily an infielder and could be in the mix to help out there, but he also might be needed in center field, helping to cover for Yastrzemski alongside Austin Slater.

Giants Acquire Cal Stevenson, Designate Sam Long

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The Athletics traded outfielder Cal Stevenson to the Giants in exchange for cash, per announcements from both teams. Oakland had designated Stevenson for assignment late last week. San Francisco designated lefty Sam Long for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Stevenson has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

Stevenson, 26, appeared in his first 23 big league games with Oakland last year but managed only a .167/.261/.217 output in 71 plate appearances. Oakland picked him up alongside minor league righty Christian Fernandez in a trade that sent catcher/first baseman Christian Bethancourt back to Tampa Bay. Thus far, that hasn’t panned out in the A’s favor, though Fernandez is out to a nice start in High-A this season.

Stevenson has been an on-base machine in the minors, with more walks (240) than strikeouts (222) through 1471 minor league plate appearances. He’s spent parts of two seasons (2023 included) at the Triple-A level and posted a combined .289/.397/.414 batting line, showing plus plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills but minimal power. He’s never turned in a double-digit home run total in a professional season, though he did pop nine long balls in an injury-shortened 2021 Double-A campaign that saw him tally just 365 plate appearances. He has ample experience in both center field and in left field. Stevenson also has two minor league option years remaining (2023 included).

As for Long, the 27-year-old southpaw has spent parts of the past two seasons in the Giants’ bullpen but opened the 2023 campaign in Sacramento, where he’s gotten out to a rough start. Through 10 Triple-A innings, Long has been tagged for 11 runs on the strength of 14 hits and five walks with just seven punchouts.

Long tallied a career-high 42 1/3 Major League innings last season with San Francisco, pitching to a 3.61 ERA with a sharp 7.7% walk rate but a well below-average 18.2% strikeout rate. He averaged 94.5 mph on his heater but was also exceptionally homer-prone despite a spacious home park, serving up an average of 1.70 big flies per nine innings pitched. Metrics like FIP (5.07) and SIERA (4.31) felt he had some good fortune to keep his ERA so low, which is likely the case to some degree, given a fairly low .248 average on balls in play.

This is Long’s final minor league option year, so he can freely be shuttled between Triple-A and the big leagues for the remainder of the season but not in 2024. The Giants will have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.

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