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Paul DeJong

Paul DeJong Likely Out Until All-Star Break

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Nationals infielder Paul DeJong is on the 10-day injured due to a fractured nose he suffered when an errant pitch hit him in the face. Manager Dave Martinez tells Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post that he probably won’t be back until around the All-Star break.

“I think now they said about a month before he can actually do any activities,” Martinez said. “Hopefully we get him back sometime around the All-Star break, but we’ll see. I mean, only time will tell now. So it’s just about healing with him right now.”

It was April 15th when DeJong suffered the aforementioned HBP. As seen in the video from MLB.com, a pitch from Mitch Keller sails up and in and hits DeJong in the face. Though he was able to walk off the field after that scary situation, he was visibly bleeding and had to hold a towel to his face. Last week, Martinez told reporters that DeJong would undergo surgery on his nose, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Per Jon Heyman of The New York Post, that surgery would take place on April 28th, repairing his sinuses and orbital plate.

In the wake of that surgery, it seems DeJong is still a month away from getting back in any kind of action. Assuming that comes to pass, he’ll spend the month of June ramping up activities before going out on a rehab assignment, which could put him in line to return at some point in July.

The Nationals likely signed DeJong with the hope of trading him midseason. DeJong was flipped prior to the deadline in each of the past two seasons. The Cardinals traded him to the Blue Jays in 2023, getting minor league righty Matt Svanson in return, though his performance tanked with Toronto. He was released, landed with the Giants, struggled some more and was released again. He bounced back with the White Sox last year and was traded to the Royals, with the Sox netting right-handed pitching prospect Jarold Rosado in the swap.

Washington wrapped up its fifth straight losing season in 2024, with no clear short-term answer at third base. Prospect Brady House is the hopeful long-term answer, though he struggled in his first taste of Triple-A in 2024. The Nats signed DeJong to a one-year, $1MM deal this winter. Ideally, he could have played well for a few months, enough to be traded again. At that point, perhaps House would have been able to take over for the second half.

Things haven’t gone according to that script thus far. DeJong hit .204/.246/.278 through his first 57 plate appearances, striking out in 42.1% of them. With this injury absence, he won’t have too much time to improve that line before the July 31st trade deadline. Even though he’s had modest trade value in recent years, his performance has been highly volatile. He has a 32.1% strikeout rate dating back to the start of 2023. He has 38 home runs in that time but his combined .217/.266/.387 line leads to a 79 wRC+.

Since DeJong hit the IL, José Tena has been the regular at the hot corner. He’s hit .286/.302/.381 for a wRC+ of 88 this year. It wouldn’t be a shock to see House called up at some point, as he’s hitting .297/.363/.485 for a 127 wRC+ in Triple-A this year. On the other hand, his .400 batting average on balls in play will surely come down and he’s striking out in 29.2% of his plate appearances.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Injury Notes: Gil, DeJong, Gray

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Luis Gil has not thrown since being diagnosed with a lat strain during the first week of March. The Yankees righty was shut down for at least six weeks at the time of the injury. While Gil has hit the six-week mark, he’s still not ready to begin throwing. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) that Gil will remain shut down for at least another 10 days. Recent imaging hasn’t revealed sufficient healing for last year’s Rookie of the Year winner to resume throwing.

Gil will remain more than a month away from returning to MLB action even after he begins throwing. He’ll need a full ramp-up period after missing all of Spring Training, progressing through multiple sessions before he’s ready for a minor league rehab assignment. The Yankees welcomed Clarke Schmidt back from his own season-opening injured list stint on Wednesday, but they’re still down three starting pitchers. Gerrit Cole will miss the entire season, while Marcus Stroman went on the IL with knee inflammation over the weekend.

A couple other injury updates around the game:

  • The Nationals placed Paul DeJong on the 10-day injured list before Wednesday’s loss in Pittsburgh. The veteran infielder suffered a broken nose during Tuesday’s contest. Mitch Keller lost control of a 93 MPH fastball that ran up and hit DeJong in the face. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com relays that DeJong spent the night in a Pittsburgh-area hospital for observation and was released on Wednesday. Signed to a $1MM free agent deal, DeJong opened the year as Washington’s third baseman. He’d spent time at shortstop with CJ Abrams shelved by a hip flexor strain. Amed Rosario and Nasim Nuñez are handling the left side of the infield with both players out. DeJong has opened the season with a .204/.246/.278 showing in 57 plate appearances.
  • Rangers righty Jon Gray broke his right wrist when he was hit by a comebacker late in Spring Training. The veteran starter tells Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports that his injury has healed as hoped over the past month. Gray is hoping to begin throwing a couple weeks from now. He’s not expected to be ready for MLB game action until at least July. Gray owns a 4.16 earned run average in just under 400 innings over three seasons with Texas. He’s in the final season of his four-year free agent deal.

Nationals Sign Paul DeJong

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9:51am: The Nationals have officially announced DeJong’s signing. Right-hander Josiah Gray was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for the infielder on the 40-man roster.

6:54am: The Nationals are in agreement with infielder Paul DeJong on a one-year deal that guarantees him $1MM, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, DeJong’s deal includes $600K in potential incentives. The Nationals’ 40-man roster is full, but the club has multiple candidates for the 60-day IL who can be placed on the shelf to make room for DeJong once the signing becomes official.

DeJong, 31, was a fourth-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2015 and rose through the minors quickly to make his big league debut in 2017 at the age of 23. DeJong looked quite good in his first season in the majors, slashing .285/.325/.532 (123 wRC+) and clubbing 25 homers in just 108 games while splitting time between shortstop and second base. DeJong finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting to Cody Bellinger that year, and by the time 2018 rolled around he had established himself as the Cardinals’ everyday shortstop.

Prior to DeJong’s second season with St. Louis, the sides agreed to a six-year extension that ran through the 2023 season with club options for 2024 and ’25 that guaranteed him $26MM. Over the next two seasons, DeJong clubbed 49 homers in 274 games but hit just .237/.316/.440 (102 wRC+) overall as the .349 BABIP that sustained his star-caliber rookie season crashed down to a below average .271 BABIP. Even as his bat fell to something closer to league average, however, DeJong’s strong work on defense was enough to justify his extension and place in the Cardinals’ lineup as an everyday fixture.

DeJong’s offense continued to take a tumble from there, however. While his defense remained respectable, DeJong hit just .200/.273/.352 (72 wRC+) from 2020 to 2023, and ultimately found himself bouncing between the Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Giants in the final guaranteed year of his contract extension. DeJong eventually signed with the White Sox on a one-year, $1.75MM deal last winter, hoping to rebuild his value while taking over for Tim Anderson as the regular shortstop on the south side of Chicago. 2024 turned into a solid rebound season for DeJong, as he ultimately posted a decent .227/.276/.427 (95 wRC+) slash line with 24 homers in 139 games, his best power output in half a decade. DeJong split his season between the White Sox and Royals. He moved to third base in deference to Bobby Witt Jr. upon being dealt to Kansas City and proved to be a superlative defender at the position despite his glove work at shortstop hovering around the league average.

Now that DeJong is set to join the Nationals for the 2025 season, it seems likely he’ll serve as the club’s everyday third baseman. It’s a role that previously seemed likely to go to a platoon of Jose Tena and Amed Rosario, but Tena’s career wRC+ of just 80 does not inspire confidence in him as a starting caliber player while Rosario has the versatility to move around the infield and outfield as needed while playing primarily against left-handed pitchers. It’s possible Rosario could even be tasked with spelling DeJong against some lefties, as while both veterans are right-handed hitters Rosario is a career .298/.337/.460 hitter against southpaws while DeJong actually has reverse splits both for his career and in 2024. In addition to likely serving as the club’s primary third baseman, DeJong gives the Nationals a viable backup to CJ Abrams at shortstop with better defense at the position than either Abrams or Rosario.

The signing should significantly raise the floor for the Nationals on the infield, offering the club a solid defender at third base who has enough pop in his bat to provide 20 homers a year in spite of below-average on-base ability. That’s an undeniably useful player for a Nationals club that saw its third basemen finish third from the bottom in both wRC+ (67) and fWAR (-0.4) last year. DeJong should be able to easily clear both of those benchmarks, and in doing so allow the club to be patient with top third base prospect Brady House as he establishes himself against Triple-A pitchers this season with an eye toward making his big league debut later this year. Once House is ready to take over at the hot corner, DeJong could become impressive bench depth for the Nationals or a potential trade piece over the summer, depending on where the club is in the standings at that point.

Twins Have Shown Interest In Paul DeJong, Luis Urías

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The Twins are interested in adding infield depth, particularly at shortstop, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic. As part of that desire, free agents Paul DeJong and Luis Urías are two players they have recently checked in on. They also checked in on Jon Berti before he signed with the Cubs last month.

Adding depth is a sensible add for a club that was felled by injuries last year. The Twins were in playoff position for much of the 2024 season but went 9-18 in September, falling four games short of a postseason berth. Key players like Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton and others missed time in the second half as the club failed to tread water. Bolstering that depth makes plenty of sense. The club agreed to a deal with Harrison Bader this week, strengthening the outfield group, with an infield addition perhaps next on the to-do list.

Health has long been a focus for Correa. As a free agent, he famously had a couple of mega deals scuttled by concerns around his lower right leg. The Giants walked away from a 13-year, $350MM agreement with Correa after growing concerned about his right ankle going into the 2023 season. That led him to work out a 12-year, $315MM pact with the Mets, though they also had enough concern with the ankle to walk away. That led Correa back to the Twins on a six-year, $200MM pact with four vesting options.

In the first year of that deal, Correa got into 135 games but battled plantar fasciitis in his right foot. That seemed to impact his performance, as he hit .230/.312/.399 for a wRC+ of 95, his worst performance in a full season. He got back on track last year with a .310/.388/.517 line and 155 wRC+, but that plantar fasciitis and an oblique strain limited him to just 86 contests.

While Correa was away, Willi Castro got a lot of his playing time. He had a good season at the plate, slashing .247/.331/.385 for a 108 wRC+, but is overmatched as a defender at short. He has 1,187 2/3 innings at the position in his career, with more than a third of that coming in 2024. Defensive Runs Saved has given him a -21 grade at the position in his career, including -9 last year. Outs Above Average hasn’t been quite as negative, giving Castro +3 last year, but -3 in his career.

Since he can play other positions, Castro is perhaps better suited to being a super utility player who could play shortstop in a pinch, with the Twins adding a firmer backup at the position. They also have Edouard Julien and Austin Martin on the roster, though neither is considered a capable big league shortstop.

DeJong, 31, would certainly qualify based on his overall track record. He has logged 6543 1/3 innings at short in his career with +32 DRS and +2 OAA. DRS did drop him down to -9 last year, though that was his first negative score from that metric in his career.

Offensively, DeJong’s profile is well established, with lots of home runs and lots of strikeouts. That continued last year, as he launched 24 home runs between the White Sox and Royals but was also punched out at a massive 32.4% clip. Zack Gelof and Tyler O’Neill were the only two players with at least 450 plate appearances and a higher strikeout rate. In spite of the punchouts, the power helped him put up a .227/.276/.427 line and 95 wRC+. That was actually a nice upswing for him, since he hit a combined .189/.253/.330 for a 61 wRC+ in the previous two seasons.

Urías, 28 in June, would similarly come with concerns about inconsistency. He hit a combined .244/.340/.426 over 2021 and 2022 with the Brewers, production that translated to a 111 wRC+. He dipped to .194/.337/.299 and an 83 wRC+ between the Brewers and Red Sox in 2023. He was traded to the Mariners last year but kept in the minors until the end of August. He had a strong .260/.378/.413 line in Triple-A but then produced a .191/.303/.394 slash in 109 major league plate appearances down the stretch. That latter line came with four home runs but a 31.2% strikeout rate.

Defensively, Urías doesn’t have the same track record as DeJong. He has 1,116 innings at the shortstop position with marks of -6 DRS and -15 OAA. He hasn’t played there at the big league level since 2022.

Both DeJong and Urías can play other infield positions as well, which is likely important. Lewis projects as the club’s third baseman and has long-standing injury issues of his own. He has only played 152 games over his three-year career thanks to various ailments. Projected second baseman Brooks Lee dealt with a lower back strain and biceps tendinitis last year, only getting into 50 games. First baseman José Miranda had much of his 2023 wiped out by shoulder surgery. He bounced back in 2024 but was still limited to 121 games with a couple of IL stints for lower back strains.

Though adding more depth makes sense, the budget is still an ongoing question. For much of the winter, it seems as though the club might have to cut payroll before making any additions, leading to rumors involving Castro, catcher Christian Vázquez and righty Chris Paddack. More recently, Hayes reported last week that the club could actually add about $5MM to the payroll without subtractions. Since then, they agreed to deals with Bader and lefty Danny Coulombe worth $6.25MM and $3MM respectively.

DeJong or Urías shouldn’t cost much. Last winter’s deal with the White Sox only guaranteed DeJong $1.75MM. On the heels of a relative bounceback, he might be able to earn a raise, but it shouldn’t be massive. Urías was arbitration eligible this winter, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a $5MM salary, but the Mariners outrighted him off their roster at season’s end.

The club has already spent a bit more than the $5MM Hayes was expecting as of a week ago. Whether they can add another modest deal remains to be seen, but some roster creativity might come up regardless. The Bader and Coulombe deals are still unofficial and the 40-man roster is full, so couple of spots have to be opened. If the club wants to add an infielder, that means a third spot will be required. Perhaps the combined payroll/roster crunch will lead to some maneuverings for the Twins in the final days before spring training gets rolling.

Yankees Considering Paul DeJong

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As the Yankees search for infield help after losing second baseman Gleyber Torres in free agency last month, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Paul DeJong is among the names the club is currently considering.

DeJong, 31, has spent the vast majority of his career with the Cardinals to this point. After being selected in the fourth-round of the 2015 draft by St. Louis, he rose through the ranks of the minor leagues quickly and made his debut during the 2017 season. The first few years of his career went quite well, as he hit a solid .251/.318/.467 (108 wRC+) in his first three years with the club while working his way into the Cardinals lineup as their everyday shortstop. He enjoyed a particularly strong season in 2019, when he slugged 30 home runs and put up fantastic numbers on defense en route to an All-Star appearance.

Things started to take a turn for the worse starting with the shortened 2020 season, however, and his offense took a major step back until he ultimately lost his starting job with the Cardinals. Eventually, he was traded midway through the 2023 season having slashed just .207/.285/.368 (80 wRC+) over his final four years with the club. He bounced around the Blue Jays and Giants down the stretch and hit just .129/.128/.183 over the season’s final two months before reaching free agency, where he eventually signed with the White Sox.

While 2024 was a season to forget on the south side of Chicago, that had nothing to do with DeJong’s performance. Taking over for Tim Anderson as the club’s starting shortstop in the first half, DeJong enjoyed the best season he’s had since his aforementioned 2019 All-Star campaign. That strong performance earned him a trade to the Royals, and he shifted to third base in deference to Bobby Witt Jr. down the stretch as the Royals made their first playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 2015. Overall, he slashed a decent .227/.276/.427 (95 wRC+) in 482 plate appearances that brought his offensive contributions within spitting distance of league average. That combined with strong glovework at both shortstop and third base made DeJong a 1.7 fWAR player in 2024, or a roughly average regular.

A player whose best season in half a decade saw him become more or less average is sure to come with warts, and DeJong is no exception. His .276 on-base percentage last year was the eighth-lowest figure among all hitters with at least 450 trips to the plate, and his 32.4% strikeout rate was third-highest among that same group. DeJong’s excessive whiffs and difficulty getting on-base are somewhat made up for by his considerable pop; he clubbed 24 homers last year, good for eighth among shortstops and ninth among third baseman despite him not getting enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. With his combination of power and defense, DeJong seems like a good bet to earn at least semi-regular playing time in 2025.

Whether that playing time will ultimately come with the Yankees is unclear. DeJong is unlikely to cost much even after a solid enough platform season, and that’s sure to be appreciated by a Yankees club that seems to be stretched thin financially as things stand. Heyman suggests that offloading some of right-hander Marcus Stroman’s salary could allow the Yankees to spend a bit more in their search for infield help, though even if they’re successful in their efforts to shop the veteran hurler it stands to reason they’ll remain out on top-of-the-market options like Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado.

While the Yankees apparently don’t have much desire to pay a premium in free agency or trade to add infield help, there’s a clear need for another option at either second or third base. Jazz Chisholm Jr. can be a solid regular at either position and appears to be ticketed for the keystone as things stand, but that would leave third base to some combination of DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza. LeMahieu turns 37 in July and is coming off a 2024 season where he was among the worst hitters in baseball (52 wRC+), while Peraza has just 74 games of experience at the big league level. That leaves Cabrera as the club’s best option at present, but his .247/.296/.365 (88 wRC+) leaves much to be desired as an everyday player despite his value on the bench.

Royals Acquire Paul DeJong

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4:01PM: The trade has been officially announced, and the Royals have designated righty John McMillon for assignment to create roster space for DeJong.  McMillon made his MLB debut with four innings of 2.25 ERA ball with K.C. in 2023, but has struggled in posting a 6.53 ERA across 30 1/3 innings with Triple-A Omaha this year.

2:51PM: The Royals have bolstered their infield depth by acquiring shortstop Paul DeJong from the White Sox, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (via X).  Right-handed pitching prospect Jarold Rosado is headed to the Sox in return, as per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The deal will become official after a medical review.  Since the Royals and White Sox are playing each other tonight in Chicago, DeJong might be able to make a quick debut for his new club against his old club.

In a dismal White Sox season, DeJong has been a relatively bright spot, hitting .228/.275/.430 with a team-leading 18 homers in 363 plate appearances.  While his 95 wRC+ is still below the league average, it still represents a significant step up from the 73 wRC+ DeJong posted over the 2020-23 seasons, while hitting .200/.273/.352 in 1213 PA for the Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Giants.

DeJong’s strikeout and walk rates are among the worst in baseball, but he still makes a decent amount of hard contact and can generate power when he does square up.  Beyond the power-centric offensive profile, DeJong doesn’t offer much in the field, as his glovework has sharply declined after once being one of the sport’s better defensive shortstops.

While the Royals are more than set already at shortstop with Bobby Witt Jr., DeJong brings some extra pop to a K.C. team that ranks 19th of 30 teams in homers.  Witt and Salvador Perez (each with 19 round-trippers) are the only Royals players with more home runs than DeJong, so he could bring some power off the bench, or in a part-time capacity at second or third base.

The right-handed hitting DeJong could pair with the left-handed hitting Michael Massey for a natural platoon at the keystone, or DeJong could get some at-bats ahead of the offensively-struggling Maikel Garcia at third base.  DeJong hasn’t played much second base in his career and had never played any third before this season, but another infield position might be the better option given the decline in his shortstop work.

DeJong is a free agent after the season, making him one of the more clear-cut players to be dealt by the rebuilding White Sox.  The infielder (who turns 31 later this week) signed a one-year, $1.75MM deal with Chicago last winter, so the remaining $580K or so on his deal represents a pretty small financial burden for Kansas City to assume.

Rosado just turned 22 earlier this month, and the former international signing has a 1.85 ERA, 29.4% strikeout rate, and 7.2% walk rate over 39 relief innings for A-level Columbia this season.  Injuries cost Rosado the entire 2022 season and limited him to 10 innings in 2021 and 26 innings last year, but he has looked much sharper and reduced his walk rate significantly in his first healthy pro season.

White Sox Sign Paul DeJong

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The White Sox announced Tuesday that they’ve signed free agent shortstop Paul DeJong to a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $1.75MM. (Chicago is one of the few MLB organizations that publicly discloses financial terms.) DeJong, a client of the C.L. Rocks Corporation, can reportedly earn another $250K via incentives.

Signing the 30-year-old DeJong is a clear buy-low move for the Sox, as he has struggled badly in recent seasons. He had an incredible debut with the Cardinals in 2017, hitting 25 home runs in his first 108 major league games. His 28% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate were not great, but his overall line of .285/.325/.532 translated to a wRC+ of 123.

The Cards made a bet that DeJong could be their shortstop for many years to come, signing him to a six-year, $26MM extension prior to 2018. Unfortunately for them, DeJong’s production slid downhill from the moment that deal was signed. His wRC+ dropped to 103 in 2018, then 101, 87, 84 and 54 through 2022.

In 2023, he seemed to get back on track somewhat. Through 81 games for the Cards, he hit 13 home runs and slashed .233/.297/.412 for a wRC+ of 94. Though he was still below the league average hitter, that kind of production for a strong defensive shortstop was still welcome, and an obvious boost from his previous nosedive.

However, the Cards flipped him to the Blue Jays prior to the deadline, which was the start of another frustrating run for him. The Jays had recently lost Bo Bichette to the injured list and tried to use DeJong to fill the gap, but the move to Toronto didn’t go well, to put it mildly. DeJong hit .068/.068/.068 in his 44 plate appearances, striking out in 40.9% of them without drawing a walk. Once Bichette was reinstated from the injured list, the Jays designated him for assignment and eventually released him. The Giants took a shot on him but he continued to struggle, hitting .184/.180/.286 for that club, striking out at a 32% clip and not drawing a walk for them either. He was released again near the end of September.

The White Sox just moved on from a different shortstop who also endured an awful season in 2023. Tim Anderson had been an above-average hitter from 2019 to 2022 but hit just one home run this past year while batting .245/.286/.296 overall. His wRC+ of 60 was the worst such number from any qualified hitter for the year. The Sox could have retained Anderson via a $14MM buyout and hoped for a bounceback but decided to move on, declining that option.

A couple of weeks ago, general manager Chris Getz said the club would be looking for a veteran with good defense to take over for Anderson, ideally on a short-term deal to bridge the gap to prospect Colson Montgomery. DeJong certainly fits the bill there, having racked up 41 Defensive Runs Saved, four Outs Above Average and earned a grade of 30.5 from Ultimate Zone Rating in his career. He has shown some offensive potential in the past but the recent results have been grisly.

Perhaps the club will only keep DeJong around until the job is wrested away from him, as Montgomery is considered one of the top prospects in the league. He’s currently listed #14 overall at Baseball America, #12 at FanGraphs and #17 at MLB Pipeline, while midseason updates saw him get the #21 spot from Keith Law of The Athletic and #2 from ESPN. Montgomery hit .287/.455/.484 in the minors this year, posting matching strikeout and walk rates of 19%. He finished the year at Double-A and then went to the Arizona Fall League for a bit more action.

Montgomery is still young, turning 22 in February, and has yet to reach Triple-A. But it’s possible he’s not too far away and DeJong may just be a placeholder. The Sox don’t have an obvious solution at second base either, so perhaps DeJong could move across the bag if he is in decent form, but it’s also possible the club could move on if the guarantee isn’t especially burdensome.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported the White Sox and DeJong were nearing a major league deal. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first confirmed a deal was in place. Bob Nightengale of USA Today specified it was a one-year contract, and Heyman first reported the terms — which were subsequently publicly confirmed by the club.

Giants Place Brandon Crawford On Injured List, Release Paul DeJong

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The Giants announced a slate of roster moves Thursday, most notably placing shortstop Brandon Crawford on the 10-day injured list due to a hamstring strain and requesting unconditional release waivers on fellow shortstop Paul DeJong. San Francisco has also selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Tyler Fitzgerald, recalled right-hander Tristan Beck and infielder Marco Luciano from Triple-A Sacramento, and optioned right-hander Sean Hjelle to Sacramento. Crawford will be eligible for reinstatement on the final day of the season.

Crawford, 36, exited yesterday’s contest after experiencing discomfort and acknowledged his frustration with the injury following the game (link via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). A free agent at season’s end, Crawford is perhaps playing out his final days as a Giant. That he’s eligible to return on the final game of the season could give him the opportunity to still get back in front of the home crowd for a potential sendoff. The Giants host their archrival Dodgers on Oct. 1. “It’s the most frustrating timing I’ve probably ever had with an injury,” Crawford told Slusser.

The 2023 season has been the least-productive of Crawford’s career. He’s posted a .197/.276/.319 batting line with a career-high 25% strikeout rate in 316 plate appearances. It’s a step down from last year’s output and a major departure from the 2021 season, when Crawford was a bona fide MVP candidate, placing fourth in the National League voting that year. Crawford’s .298/.373/.522 slash and world-class defense in ’21 prompted the Giants to sign him to a two-year, $32MM extension covering his age-35 and age-36 seasons, but he’s batted just .217/.295/.334 in 774 plate appearances over the life of that contract.

It’s not clear whether Crawford will continue his playing career beyond the current season. He’s spoken in the past about the possibility of spending his entire career with the Giants, which surely holds extra appeal given that he’s a Bay Area native who grew up following the team. However, Luciano has ranked among the organization’s top prospects for several years now and could be ready for a full-time audition.

It’s possible the Giants could bring in a stopgap in the event that the 22-year-old still needs more minor league seasoning, but that’d likely be an awkward role for both Crawford and the organization; it’s feasible he could shift to a bench role if and when Luciano proves ready, but it’d be hard for the Giants to carry Crawford in a part-time role if his production mirrors his 2023 output. Similarly, it’d be hard for them to move on somewhat unceremoniously midway through the ’24 campaign. The Giants faced a similar situation with Crawford’s longtime teammate Brandon Belt this past offseason and ultimately opted to let him walk. Belt signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays and has had a highly productive but also injury-marred season.

There was no such commitment or legacy to ponder in the decision to cut ties with the veteran DeJong. San Francisco signed the former Cardinals shortstop to a Major League deal one month ago after he was released by the Blue Jays, who’d acquired him at the deadline when Bo Bichette sustained an injury.

DeJong gave the Giants 114 innings of strong defense at shortstop but hit just .184/.180/.286 in 50 plate appearances. He had a relative bounceback year at the plate with the Cardinals prior to his trade, but since leaving St. Louis he’s batted a combined .129/.128/.183 with no walks and 34 strikeouts in 94 plate appearances between Toronto and San Francisco. He’ll be a free agent once he formally clears release waivers, although at this point of the schedule, he may simply wait until the offseason to find a new club.

Fitzgerald, 26, was the Giants’ fourth-round pick in 2019 and will be making his big league debut when he first takes the field. He’s had a nice season in the minors, batting .324/.410/.588 in a small sample of 78 Double-A plate appearances before moving up to Triple-A and hitting .287/.358/.499 in 466 trips to the plate. Fitzgerald has smacked a combined 22 home runs and swiped 32 bags in 35 tries this year. His 9.7% walk rate in Triple-A is an above-average mark, while his 23.8% strikeout rate was also slightly higher than average.

San Francisco has bounced Fitzgerald all over the diamond in 2023. He’s logged time at shortstop, second base, third base and in center field this season, in addition to occasional stints at designated hitter. While he’s never been considered one of the Giants’ top prospects, Fitzgerald has been an above-average hitter at virtually every minor league stop and clearly possesses above-average speed (career 70-for-79 in stolen bases). He’ll add a versatile defensive repertoire and right-handed bat to the club’s bench mix.

Giants Designate Johan Camargo For Assignment

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The Giants announced that they have now officially signed shortstop Paul DeJong to their roster, a move that was reported yesterday. In a corresponding move, infielder Johan Camargo was designated for assignment.

Camargo, 29, was just added to the Giants’ roster last week for a bit of veteran infield depth. With players like Mark Mathias, Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely all producing fairly uninspiring results this year, an established utility option like Camargo was a sensible gamble to take, even though his own results have been fairly tepid in recent seasons. He hit .222/.300/.222 in a small sample of 20 plate appearances over eight games for the Giants, lining up at shortstop and third base but now losing his roster spot.

Since Camargo was selected, the Giants lost their everyday shortstop when Brandon Crawford landed on the injured list due to a left forearm strain. Rather than trying to patch together that position with their various utility infielders, the club decided to take a chance on DeJong after he was released by the Blue Jays.

That’s a low-risk move for the Giants from a financial perspective as they can bring aboard DeJong for the prorated league minimum and see what happens. It’s certainly risky in terms of results, as DeJong has been struggling in recent years and had a really poor showing with the Jays after they acquired him from the Cardinals at the deadline. But the Giants aren’t really committed and can easily walk away if it doesn’t work out.

In taking a shot on DeJong, they are giving up on Camargo, who will have to be placed on waivers in the coming days. His tiny sample of big league work this year doesn’t provide other clubs much to evaluate, but he has a longer track record they could look at. He has a career batting line of 254/.313/.407 in 1,359 career plate appearances, translating to a wRC+ of 90. The best part of that was earlier in his career, as he hit .281/.343/.455 over 2017 and 2018 but just .219/.272/.344 since then. He’s been slotted into each infield position as well as the outfield corners. This year, he has signed three separate minor league deals with the Royals, Tigers and Giants. He hit .260/.339/.466 in 165 Triple-A plate appearances between those different organizations.

If any of the 29 other clubs around the league are interested in some veteran infield depth, they could grab Camargo off waivers or perhaps sign him to another minor league in the event he clears. He has a previous career outright and would therefore be able to reject another such assignment in favor of electing free agency. He won’t be able to reach five years of service time this year and could therefore be retained for 2024 via arbitration by any club willing to give him a roster spot.

Giants To Sign Paul DeJong To Major League Contract

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The Giants are signing shortstop Paul DeJong to a major league contract, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The shortstop was recently designated for assignment by the Blue Jays and his transactions tracker at MLB.com indicates he was released yesterday.

DeJong’s career has been on a downward slope in recent years, with his offensive production declining in each season since his 2017 rookie year. He hit .285/.325/.532 in his first campaign for a wRC+ of 123, indicating he was 23% above league average. The Cards then gave him a six-year, $26MM extension but watched him struggle more and more as time went on. His wRC+ dropped to 103 in 2018, then 101, 87, and 85 in the years after. In 2022, he spent a couple of months on optional assignment and only hit .157/.245/.286 in the majors for a wRC+ of just 55.

He seemed to have turned things around somewhat this year, having hit .233/.297/.412 through 81 games with the Cards. He was striking out in 28.4% of his plate appearances but had popped 13 home runs in that time. His 95 wRC+ indicated he was still a tad below average at the plate overall, but for a shortstop who’s considered an above-average defender, that was a serviceable showing.

With the Cardinals out of contention this year and DeJong in the final guaranteed year of that extension, he was a sensible trade candidate. The Jays found themselves with a sudden need at short just before the deadline when Bo Bichette landed on the IL with a knee injury. They sent minor league pitcher Matt Svanson to the Cards in order to get DeJong as an emergency fill-in for Bichette.

Unfortunately, switching the red bird on his jersey for a blue one coincided with an incredible swoon in his performance. He recorded just three hits in 44 plate appearances for the Jays, all singles, while striking out 18 times and not drawing any walks. When Bichette was reinstated from the injured list, the Jays could have optioned a less-experienced player like Santiago Espinal or Davis Schneider but instead decided to just move on from DeJong.

At the time of the trade, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals are covering half of DeJong’s remaining salary and the buyouts on two club options. DeJong’s salary is $9MM this year, which left about $3MM to be paid out at the time of the trade and $2MM now. After being released, any club could sign him and pay him just the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the other clubs pay.

It seems like the Giants will take that chance on another DeJong bounceback, which is a fairly logical move for them. Their regular shortstop, Brandon Crawford, just landed on the injured list over the weekend due to a left forearm strain. Thairo Estrada is also day-to-day after being hit by a pitch on the hand on Sunday. That leaves veteran utility man Johan Camargo and rookie Casey Schmitt as their healthiest middle infield options at the moment. Camargo has hit .220/.273/.345 since the start of 2019 while Schmitt is hitting .197/.249/.279 through his first 226 plate appearances.

Though DeJong may be inconsistent at the plate, it’s a sensible chance for the Giants to take. If he’s able to get back into decent form, he could certainly be an upgrade over their current options. By getting added to the roster prior to 11:59pm ET on August 31, DeJong will be eligible for the postseason roster as well. The Giants are currently 65-60 and in possession of the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

The club currently has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move to add DeJong whenever this move becomes official. They will also need a spot for pitching prospect Kyle Harrison, who is reportedly going to be added and start tonight’s game, meaning some further roster moves are coming for the Giants.

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