- The initial MRI on Denard Span’s shoulder revealed no serious injuries to the Giants center fielder (Twitter links via Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle and Chris Haft of MLB.com). Span, who has already been placed on the 10-day disabled list, said that his shoulder was in too much pain yesterday to even get through the first attempt at an MRI (via Schulman). Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters earlier today that the expectation is that Span will miss more than the minimum 10 days on the disabled list (Twitter link via Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News).
Giants Rumors
Giants Outright Chris Marrero
- First baseman/left fielder Chris Marrero has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Sacramento by the Giants, the team announced earlier today. Marrero, 28, broke camp as part of a left-field platoon with Jarrett Parker but struggled to a .132/.171/.211 batting line through 41 plate appearances. The former first-round pick (Nationals, 2006) had a strong year with the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in 2016 and delivered a huge performance in Spring Training. That output clearly didn’t carry over into the regular season, but given the uncertainty surrounding the Giants’ left field mix at present, Marrero could resurface later in the year if he performs well in Sacramento. The Giants noted that Marrero will be joining their Sacramento affiliate tomorrow.
Giants Select Contract Of Michael Morse, Place Denard Span On DL
5:21pm: The Giants have moved Parker to the 60-day disabled list to create a spot on the 40-man roster for Morse. Additionally, center fielder Denard Span has been placed on the 10-day disabled list. Brandon Crawford, meanwhile, has been placed on the bereavement list, and Kelby Tomlinson has been recalled from Triple-A.
5:02pm: The Giants have selected the contract of first baseman/outfielder Michael Morse, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). There’s no word on a corresponding move for Morse just yet, though the 40-man roster is currently full. One obvious solution would be to move Madison Bumgarner or Jarrett Parker the 60-day disabled list, as each could be out for two months or more following their recent injuries.
The 35-year-old Morse saw just eight plate appearances in the Majors in 2016 and hasn’t hit much since the 2014 campaign — a season which he spent with the Giants en route their most recent World Series victory. Morse slugged at a .276/.339/.475 clip for the Giants in ’14, which led to a two-year deal with the Marlins. However, Morse was unable to live up to that $16MM price tag, hitting a combined .224/.303/.325 in the 2015-16 seasons combined.
Morse had a nice Spring Training with the Giants, though, hitting .258/.343/.516 through 14 games before a hamstring injury sidelined him near the end of camp. He’s only appeared in six minor league games with the Giants thus far, but he’ll seemingly be added to the roster in hopes of bolstering the big league club’s left field production (either by manning left field himself or by handling first-base duties while Brandon Belt shifts to the outfield grass). To date, Giants left fielders are hitting a combined .131/.207/.205 on the season, and the Opening Day starter, Parker, will be out upwards of eight weeks after suffering a broken clavicle.
Giants, Brewers Have Discussed Braun In Past
- The Giants and Brewers have previously had conversations about a Ryan Braun trade, writes Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News in his latest Giants mailbag column, though Baggarly doesn’t envision San Francisco making any notable splashes in the left field department. According to Baggarly, the Brewers sought some salary relief in addition to well-regarded prospects, and the Giants weren’t willing to meet their price. He adds that the Giants would probably be interested in Leonys Martin if he were to become available for free and could be stashed in Triple-A (i.e. if the Mariners release him rather than trade him following his weekend DFA), but a claim of Martin and the remaining $4.2MM on his salary isn’t likely in Baggarly’s eyes. The entire column addresses roster-related topics, including Jae-gyun Hwang’s timeline, Christian Arroyo’s development and potential alignments if Brandon Crawford requires any type of notable absence. I’d recommend that Giants fans and NL West followers give it a full read.
Brandon Crawford Suffers Groin Strain
Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford departed last night’s game with a groin strain, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports. The veteran had already been scheduled to miss a few games on the bereavement list, but the club will be anxious to see how he feels upon his return. “I really haven’t felt anything like that before,” said Crawford, “so I can’t tell you how bad it is. It just felt tight. I didn’t feel a pop, so from what I hear, that’s good news.” San Francisco will likely bring up utilityman Kelby Tomlinson to fill in for Crawford during his three-day absence, Baggarly notes.
Giants To Promote Christian Arroyo, Designate Chris Marrero
5:39pm: Struggling first baseman/outfielder Chris Marrero has been designated for assignment, Shea tweets. In the other corresponding move, veteran utilityman Aaron Hill was sent to the 10-day DL with a forearm strain.
5:24pm: The Giants will promote top infield prospect Christian Arroyo, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). Also joining the MLB roster is veteran outfielder Drew Stubbs, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).
Arroyo, who’s still just 21 years old, was taken 25th overall in the 2013 draft. Since, he has steadily moved up the ladder toward the majors, with the Giants facing steadily growing calls to give him a shot at the game’s highest level.
While there have been several opportunities, San Francisco has to this point kept the youngster in the pipeline. Arroyo struggled last year upon making the leap to Double-A, causing him to drop out of Baseball America’s listing of the top-100 prospects (though he remains 89th on MLB.com’s ranking) and further extending his timeline.
But that all changed with the beginning of the current season. The Giants have staggered out of the gates and will now be forced to navigate the tough NL West without ace Madison Bumgarner. Arroyo, meanwhile, has thrived in brief action at the game’s highest level. Through 69 plate appearances, he is slashing a robust .446/.478/.692. While he has drawn just a pair of walks, Arroyo has also gone down on strikes only eight times.
While he has played mostly at shortstop in the minors, Arroyo will line up at third base upon his arrival in San Francisco. Indeed, he’ll plug right into the lineup, taking the sixth spot in the batting order while starting at the hot corner tonight. Eduardo Nunez is playing in left field; presumably, he’ll see a good bit of time there while also stepping into the infield when needed.
Given that the season is only a few weeks old, Arroyo will be set up nicely to qualify for arbitration as a Super Two player down the road — assuming, at least, that he can stick in the bigs from this point forward. If he entrenches himself in San Francisco, Arroyo would reach arbitration eligibility in advance of the 2020 season but not qualify for free agency until 2024.
Reactions To Madison Bumgarner's Injury
- In the wake of Madison Bumgarner’s injury, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News opines that tanking the 2017 season might not be the worst thing for the long-term future of the Giants. Baggarly notes that the front office still has several months to make this determination, but his argument stems from the fact that the rest of the NL West is getting younger and more athletic with the arrival of young talent from the minor leagues. Trading players such as Johnny Cueto and Eduardo Nunez this summer would pave the way for San Francisco’s own top young talent (Tyler Beede and Christian Arroyo) to arrive in the Majors and would also replenish the minor league ranks (as would a high pick in the 2018 draft). The Giants needn’t employ a long-term rebuild, Baggarly notes, as they could reasonably expect significant contributions out of Bumgarner and injured southpaw Will Smith next season, plus perhaps either (or both) of the aforementioned Beede and Arroyo.
- Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron argues the opposite, meanwhile, writing that despite the injury to Bumgarner and a 6-13 start to the year, the Giants shouldn’t punt on the season. Cameron notes that the Giants are far from the only underperforming club that entered the season as a projected contender. The Mets, Cardinals and Pirates have all gotten off to poor starts and suffered significant losses, while the division-favorite Dodgers are also below .500. Cameron adds that Arroyo and Beede can both be auditioned without making trades to free up space — he suggests shifting Nunez to left field and simply plugging Beede into Bumgarner’s vacant rotation slot — and also notes that both Cueto and Nunez would come with limited trade value. Cueto, he points out, would be valued as a rental but come with the downside of potentially being stuck with the remaining four years on his contract should he incur an injury.
Bobby Evans: Madison Bumgarner's Current Contract Not A Concern
Although the Giants have a good relationship with left-hander Madison Bumgarner, their front office isn’t going to forget his dirt bike accident if the two sides negotiate a new contract in the future, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Bumgarner is controllable via eminently affordable team options for both the 2018 and ’19 seasons, after which the three-time World Series champion should be in line to become one of the majors’ richest pitchers. In the meantime, it’s possible the Giants could look to recoup some money from Bumgarner’s current deal in the wake of the off-field shoulder injury that will keep him out for two-plus months; however, Shea notes that doing so would look terrible from a public relations standpoint and could damage the team’s relationship with Bumgarner. Unsurprisingly, general manager Bobby Evans doesn’t seem inclined to quarrel with Bumgarner over money, telling Shea that the 27-year-old ace’s contract is “the least of our concerns.” Rather, the Giants’ “focus is trying to take care of Madison and get him healthy and support him any way we can,” per Evans.
Denard Span Hopes To Miss Just A Few Games With Shoulder Injury
- Denard Span told CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic and other reporters that he hopes to miss only a few days after hurting his shoulder crashing into the outfield wall last night. Span said he suffered a similar injury in 2012 that kept him on the DL for several weeks, though his current issue doesn’t quite seem as serious, with Span noting that “the good thing is I’ve got range of motion.” Between Span’s injury, Hunter Pence day-to-day with a knee strain and the team’s ongoing need in left field, the Giants are in need of some roster creativity to address the outfield. Manager Bruce Bochy raised the possibility that Brandon Belt could play left (as he is today) in order to get Buster Posey at first and Nick Hundley behind the plate, as Hundley is hitting well. Drew Stubbs could also be promoted from the minors as further outfield depth.
Giants Notes: Bumgarner, Span
There hasn’t been any talk within the Giants organization about filing a grievance against Madison Bumgarner in the wake of the ace southpaw’s dirt bike accident earlier this week, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (subscription required). It isn’t known whether Bumgarner had some sort of contractual clause (as many players do) prohibiting him from engaging in potentially dangerous activities like dirt biking, though if he did, the Giants would technically be within their rights to pursue recouping some of the salary owed to Bumgarner while he is on the disabled list. Then again, as Olney notes, such a tactic “would be incredibly shortsighted and stupid” for the Giants given Bumgarner’s importance to the franchise, not to mention the fact that Bumgarner is already an enormous bargain thanks to an early-career extension.
- Denard Span left last night’s game in the second inning after colliding with the wall while making a catch. The Giants outfielder suffered a mild right shoulder sprain and though Span told MLB.com’s Chris Haft and other reporters that x-rays were negative, manager Bruce Bochy said Span may be out of action for a few days. With Hunter Pence also hampered by a knee strain, the Giants may need to make some type of roster move to fill the gaps in their outfield.
