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Buster Posey Exits Game Due To Thumb Contusion

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11:17PM: Manager Gabe Kapler confirmed that Posey wouldn’t be starting Monday’s game, but told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area) that Posey might be available off the bench.

11:01PM: Giants catcher Buster Posey left tonight’s game with a left thumb contusion after he was struck by a foul ball from the Diamondbacks’ Daulton Varsho.  Posey stayed in the game for the remainder of Varsho’s at-bat but was then replaced behind the plate by backup Curt Casali.

X-rays were negative on Posey’s thumb, as reported by The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly (Twitter links) and other journalists following the game.  This is undoubtedly a huge sign of relief for the team and San Francisco fans, given how a more severe injury could have threatened to derail both the Giants’ dream season and Posey’s big comeback year.  The veteran is hitting .328/.421/.547 with 12 home runs through 233 plate appearances, and is on pace for his best season since his MVP campaign in 2012.

Posey’s resurgence earned him a well-deserved starting slot on the NL All-Star team, though his participation in his seventh Midsummer Classic might now be up in the air if the Giants want him to take it easy in the wake of this injury.  An injured list visit might not be entirely out of the question, though Baggarly notes that Posey was already scheduled to sit during tomorrow’s game with the Cardinals.  The Giants also have an off-day on Thursday, so this rest might be enough for Posey to avoid the IL.

Casali has posted some decent numbers during his career but hasn’t produced much in 2021, hitting only .192/.298/.313 in 114 PA.  He could handle the starting duties in the event of a brief Posey IL stint, and Chadwick Tromp would likely be called up from Triple-A for backup duty.  Top prospect Joey Bart is demolishing pitching at Triple-A, though Bart is himself dealing with an injury after being hit by a pitch on his foot during Friday’s game.

Mets Acquire Anthony Banda From Giants

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2:22 pm: The Mets have announced the trade.

2:06 pm: The Mets have agreed to a deal acquiring left-hander Anthony Banda from the Giants in exchange for minor league third baseman Will Toffey, reports Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).

Banda, 27, was once one of the game’s top pitching prospects but has battled injuries and begun to bounce around the league in journeyman fashion. He’s spent the 2021 season with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, where he’s struggled to a 6.86 ERA with a 22.2 percent strikeout rate, a 9.5 percent walk rate and a 50 percent ground-ball rate. Most of the damage done against Banda in 2021 has come in three outings (a pair of six-run drubbings and a particularly rough seven-run game).

It hasn’t been a great year for Banda, but the same can be said of the 26-year-old Toffey, who has posted just a .178/.317/.386 batting line with a sky-high 38 percent strikeout rate in 123 Double-A plate appearances. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked him 28th among Mets farmhands heading into the season, noting that he’s a solid defender at the hot corner with a plus arm but questioning his lack of power and bat speed.

In Banda, the Mets will get a lefty with some big league experience — 51 1/3 innings, 5.96 ERA, 3.67 FIP — to help shore up their depth after a staggering number of pitching injuries have taken their toll on the organization. The Giants, meanwhile, are buying low on a prospect of a bit of note. Toffey has batted just .220 and slugged .379 in parts of three Double-A seasons, but his keen eye at the plate has produced a .354 OBP at that generally pitcher-friendly level.

Giants Place Mike Tauchman On Injured List

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The Giants announced they’ve placed outfielder Mike Tauchman on the 10-day injured list due to a right knee sprain. To replace him on the active roster, San Francisco reinstated fellow outfielder Jaylin Davis from the 60-day IL. A 40-man roster spot for Davis’ activation was opened when right-hander Gregory Santos was suspended for performance-enhancing drugs earlier this week.

Tauchman is only expected to miss 10-14 days, as his sprain is relatively minor, the team told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Upon his return, the 30-year-old will need to perform better than he has in recent weeks. The Giants acquired Tauchman from the Yankees in April, but the left-handed hitter has only managed a .180/.292/.295 line in 161 plate appearances in black and orange. Tauchman is out of minor league option years, so the Giants will need to continue to keep him on the active roster once he returns from the IL or make him available to other clubs.

The activation is a nice birthday present for Davis, who turns 27 years old today. He’ll be making his season debut once he gets into a game. Davis has been sidelined all year by right knee tendinitis. The powerful right-handed hitter hasn’t done much over 59 major league plate appearances to date, but he’s mashed at a .329/.412/.709 clip in 357 trips to the dish at Triple-A.

The Giants also provided an update on injured first baseman Brandon Belt. He’ll attempt to rehab from the right knee inflammation that sent him to the IL last week (via Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic). Surgery, which would’ve sidelined Belt for eight-to-twelve weeks, had been on the table, but there’s a realistic chance for the 33-year-old to return without going under the knife. There’s no timetable for his return, but Baggarly notes he’ll be “definitiely” be back in less than two months if all goes well.

Giants’ Gregory Santos Suspended For Performance-Enhancing Drug Use

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Giants’ right-hander Gregory Santos has been suspended for eighty games after testing positive for the banned substance Stanozolol, Major League Baseball announced this afternoon. He has been on optional assignment to Triple-A Sacramento.

Santos, who entered the season as Baseball America’s #23 prospect in the Giants organization, made his MLB debut in April. He’s appeared in three big league games, tossing two innings of six-run ball. Santos has spent most of the year with Sacramento, where he’s worked to a 5.17 ERA with worse-than-average strikeout and walk rates (20.5% and 12.3%, respectively) across 15 2/3 relief innings.

The River Cats only have 74 games remaining this season, so today’s suspension will end Santos’ 2021 campaign. He’ll be placed on the restricted list, which will open up a spot on the Giants 40-man roster.

Giants Place Brandon Belt On 10-Day Injured List

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JUNE 28: Belt has minimal structural damage in his knee, Kapler told reporters (including Guardado). The team is optimistic he’ll be able to rehab the injury without requiring surgery.

JUNE 26: Belt will miss more than 10 days in recovery, Kapler told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters, and a possible knee surgery isn’t out of the question.  “I think as we evaluate it, everything could potentially be on the table.  I think the concerns are there, yeah,” Kapler said.

JUNE 25: The Giants placed Brandon Belt on the 10-day injured list with a knee injury today, recalling outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. in his place, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Belt, 33, is one of the many seemingly rejuvenated veterans dotting the Giants’ roster. Belt posted a career-low 98 wRC+ over 616 plate appearances in 2019, but he’s been nothing short of spectacular at the dish since. After slashing a wholly unsustainable .309/.425/.591 (172 wRC+) in 179 plate appearances last season, Belt has continued to trend in the right direction with a .253/.363/.512 line through 201 trips to the box. Time will tell whether this bout of knee inflammation is a short-term setback or something more serious.

Wade, an outfielder by trade, can share the first base duties with Darin Ruf while Belt is out. Offensively, the Giants believe Wade/Ruf can hold the line, but Belt’s defense is harder to replicate. Slusser provides this quote from manager Gabe Kapler, “…as good as LaMonte is and as good as Ruf is over there, Belt is like another level when it comes to footwork and putting himself in good positions to take care of the other infielders on the diamond. LaMonte is going to continue to improve over there with more reps, but we’re going to really miss Brandon as a defender.”

In looking for ways to upgrade as we approach the trade deadline, it’s natural to consider the position player side of the Giants’ roster given that three-quarters of their expected starting infield is currently on the injured list (Belt, Evan Longoria, Tommy La Stella). That said, the Athletic’s Grant Brisbee writes that the rotation, in fact, may be the first place the Giants look to upgrade.

To Brisbee’s point, the rotation certainly didn’t look like a significant strength heading into the season. Kevin Gausman looked the part of a frontline starter, though his track record wasn’t long enough to erase all doubts. Johnny Cueto used to be a star, but he hasn’t appeared as one since 2016. Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, and Aaron Sanchez rounded out the five. That trio seemed to be a low-ceiling/high-floor group if healthy – though they came with significant health concerns. Logan Webb figured to be the primary understudy, and though he’s younger and therefore full of promise, he entered the year with a 5.36 ERA/4.15 FIP through 94 career innings.

As a group, they’ve exceeded expectations: 3.14 ERA/3.44 FIP, both ranking third-best in the Majors, with the fifth-most innings pitched at 401 2/3, and the sixth-most fWAR accumulated with 7.3 fWAR. They’ve induced groundballs at the third-best rate among rotations and allowed less walks per nine innings than every team save the rival Dodgers.

Still, Sanchez may still be bothered by his blister issues, per Slusser, and Webb is out with a strained shoulder. Gausman has been brilliant, and DeSclafani a pleasant surprise, but there’s certainly room to add the right guy if the Giants should find him. Identifying that arm will take some doing. Max Scherzer has been a popular target for speculation, but the latest reports suggest he’ll need an extension before accepting a deal. Besides, when the Nats are within earshot of contention – as they are right now – they aren’t typically inclined to sell.

To speculate on other potential rotation targets, look no further than our list of top-40 trade targets. Jon Gray, Matthew Boyd, Tyler Anderson, Kyle Gibson, Michael Pineda, Dylan Bundy, Andrew Heaney, Jose Urena, German Marquez, Spencer Turnbull, and John Means are some of the top names that may be available come July.

Tommy La Stella Suffers Hand Fracture

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Giants infielder Tommy La Stella’s minor league rehab assignment has been delayed due to a new injury, as MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (Twitter link) was among to report that La Stella suffered a small fracture in his throwing hand.  La Stella jammed his thumb while taking grounders, resulting in the fracture, and he will now be shut down for two weeks before restarting baseball activities.

This setback will extend what has already been a lengthy absence for La Stella, who went on the 10-day injured list (and was eventually moved to the 60-day IL) due to a left hamstring strain back on May 4.  This IL stint was nearing an end, as he had just started his rehab games before suffering his thumb injury.  La Stella’s earliest possible return date now looks to be July 16, the Giants’ first game after the All-Star break, though even that date is likely tentative given the sometimes tricky nature of hand-related injuries.

The Giants made a notable investment in La Stella during the offseason, inking the veteran to a three-year, $18.75MM deal that stands as the club’s priciest free agent contract since Farhan Zaidi became president of baseball operations.  While many of Zaidi’s other moves have worked out extremely well for the first-place Giants, La Stella has yet to get out of the blocks this season, as he was hitting only .235/.297/.353 over his first 75 plate appearances.

That small sample size aside, however, the 32-year-old La Stella has been an above-average hitter for much of his career, and he’ll represent a boost to San Francisco’s depth when he is able to get back onto the field.  La Stella had played only second and third base for the Giants prior to his injury, though with Brandon Belt facing a potentially lengthy IL absence, La Stella might eventually be worked into the first base mix.

Brandon Belt Sent For MRI On Injured Right Knee

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  • Giants first baseman Brandon Belt left this afternoon’s game against the Angels after stumbling while running the bases. He has an undisclosed right knee injury and will go for an MRI, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). Belt has quietly been fantastic this season, hitting .253/.365/.518 with 11 home runs across 197 plate appearances. If he winds up requiring an injured list stint, it’d be a tough blow to a Giants club that currently holds a 3.5 game lead in the National League West.

Giants Notes: Wade, Outfield, Deadline, DeSclafani

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The Giants announced Monday afternoon that they’ve reinstated outfielders Alex Dickerson and Darin Ruf from the injured list. Infielder Jason Vosler and, more surprisingly, outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. were optioned to Triple-A Sacramento to open space on the 26-man roster. It’s a tough break for Wade, who has hit quite well in his first season with San Francisco — albeit in a tiny sample of 94 plate appearances. Acquired in a lopsided deal that sent righty Shaun Anderson to Minnesota — the Twins already lost Anderson on waivers — Wade is hitting .265/.344/.470 with four homers, three doubles, a triple and a pair of steals in his limited time as a Giant.

That’s a far cry from anything Wade has done previously in the Majors or in Triple-A, particularly in the power department, and it’s worth noting that Wade has batted a tepid .220/.273/.390 over his past 11 games. Still, the overall numbers are solid and ought to earn the 27-year-old another look before too long. The Giants are quite active when it comes to roster turnover, and Wade only needs to be down for 10 days (or less, if recalled in place of someone going on the injured  list) before he can return.

More on the Giants…

  • Many Giants fans expressed immediate frustration to see Wade optioned out when hitting so well — particularly with veteran outfielder Mike Tauchman struggling so much at the plate. Tauchman hasn’t started a game since June 14, and he hasn’t tallied a multi-hit game since collecting three knocks in his Giants debut back on April 28 after he was acquired from the Yankees. He’s also out of minor league options, however, meaning he’d need to be designated for assignment and passed through waivers if the team hopes to send him down. Given Tauchman’s .171/.287/.271 slash through 150 plate appearances with San Francisco, there’s a straightforward argument that that’s the route the team should’ve taken, but clearly the front office isn’t quite yet to that point. As Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News points out, the Giants also have several left-handed opponents on the horizon, and the left-handed-hitting Wade’s production thus far has come entirely against righties.
  • Giants CEO Larry Baer discussed the trade deadline on this week’s Giants Talk podcast (link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). As one would expect from most MLB execs, Baer was a bit guarded and rather vague, so as not to reveal too much, but he made clear that ownership is prepared to greenlight the front office to make some additions to bolster the roster. Baer effused praise for president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi, GM Scott Harris and the rest of the recently reworked front office, stating that the group has quickly garnered “so much credibility” with ownership and expressed a desire to “do what’s right by the club and [the front office’s] recommendations.” While Baer didn’t foreshadow any potential target areas for the front office, it’s no doubt encouraging for the fanbase to hear ownership state that the “number one factor” at this year’s trade deadline will be: “how are we best set up to win this year?”
  • Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani spoke with John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle about the league’s forthcoming crackdown on foreign substance usage. “I’m not a user, so they can come check me whenever they want,” the righty said. DeSclafani noted the extremely low spin on his curveball and said he’s tried in the past to increase the spin and do so legally, but without much success. It’s been interesting to hear various players around the league weigh in on the foreign substance policy, and DeSclafani had several quotes on the matter in his chat with Shea for those who are interested. Lack of spin notwithstanding, the 31-year-old DeSclafani has been nothing short of excellent for the Giants. Since signing a one-year pact over the winter, he’s started 14 games and pitched to a 3.01 ERA with a 22.1 percent strikeout rate and 6.9 percent walk rate in 80 2/3 frames. Like many of his rotation-mates — Kevin Gausman, Alex Wood, Johnny Cueto and the currently injured Aaron Sanchez — DeSclafani is slated to become a free agent at season’s end. (San Francisco holds a $22MM option on Cueto, though the accompanying $5MM buyout looks likelier at present.)

Giants Reinstate John Brebbia, Move Aaron Sanchez To 60-Day IL

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Just over a year removed from Tommy John surgery, John Brebbia is back in the majors, as the Giants announced that the right-hander has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list.  Left-hander Conner Menez was optioned to Triple-A after yesterday’s game to open a spot on San Francisco’s active roster, while righty Aaron Sanchez was moved to the 60-day IL to create room for Brebbia on the 40-man roster.

Brebbia’s TJ procedure took place on June 3, 2020, so he has returned to action quicker than expected considering the normal 13-to-15 month recovery period.  Brebbia hasn’t pitched in a big league game since he threw two-thirds of an inning for the Cardinals in Game 3 of the 2019 NLCS against the Nationals.

The Cards decided to non-tender Brebbia in December rather than pay a projected $800K in Brebbia’s first year of arbitration eligibility, and the Giants stepped in to sign the righty for a one-year deal worth $800K in guaranteed money.  Since Brebbia is arb-controlled through the 2023 season, the Giants rolled the dice on a long-term investment in a reliever who looked good over his first three MLB seasons.

Originally a 30th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2011 draft, Brebbia played in the minors and in the independent leagues before St. Louis selected him away from the Diamondbacks in the minor league version of 2015 Rule 5 Draft.  That ended up being a tremendous pick for the Cardinals, as Brebbia posted a 3.14 ERA/3.61 SIERA, 27.4% strikeout rate, and 7.5% walk rate over 175 relief innings from 2017-19.

Sanchez has already been on the injured list since May 8 due to biceps inflammation, but the shift to the 60-day IL is a discouraging sign considering that he was already on a minor league rehab assignment.  The other troubling aspect is that the biceps injury may no longer be Sanchez’s chief concern, as he left his most recent outing after only 50 pitches due to a blister on his throwing hand.  Blister problems in 2017 were the first of many injuries that have sidetracked Sanchez’s career over the last four-plus years, though it appeared he was putting things together after signing with the Giants in the offseason.  Sanchez had a 3.18 ERA/4.26 SIERA over 28 1/3 innings before his biceps problem surfaced.

Alex Dickerson, Darin Ruf Begin Rehab Assignments

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  • Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that Alex Dickerson and Darin Ruf are beginning minor league rehab assignments today.  Ruf was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain on May 27, while an upper back strain sent Dickerson to the IL on June 9.  With so many members of the first-place Giants playing well, Slusser thinks the impending returns of Dickerson and Ruf could create a bit of a roster crunch.  Someone like Mike Tauchman, for instance, couldn’t be easily moved off the roster since he is out of minor league options, so the Giants would have to first expose him to waivers if they wanted to send him to Triple-A.
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