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IL Activations: Chapman, Yates

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Here’s a look at some of the more notable names to be activated from the injured list today…

  • The Giants activated third baseman Matt Chapman from the injured list today after spending just a week on the shelf due to inflammation in his right hand. Versatile infielder Tyler Fitzgerald was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Chapman on the active roster. Chapman has appeared in just 96 games for San Francisco this year after missing time due to a sprained right hand back in June. He missed nearly a month due to that injury, and after being activated in early July he hit just .200/.290/.365 over 31 games before heading back to the IL due to his ailing hand. Chapman received a cortisone shot during this latest stint on the shelf, and both he and the Giants are surely hoping he’ll be able to hit more like his first half self (.243/.360/.452 in 65 games) going forward. As for Fitzgerald, he’s hit just .217/.278/.327 (73 wRC+) in 72 games this year thanks primarily to vanishing power relative to his 15 homers in 341 plate appearances last year.
  • Elsewhere in the NL West, the Dodgers activated veteran relief arm Kirby Yates from the injured list today. He takes the roster spot of southpaw Blake Snell, who is headed to the paternity list. Yates was shelved on August 1 due to low back pain and hasn’t appeared in a game since July 26. He was placed on the shelf after a difficult month of July where he surrendered a 6.00 ERA and 5.95 FIP across eight appearances, but the Dodgers are surely hoping that his month-long layoff has helped him get healthy for the final weeks of the season. Yates was arguably the best reliever in baseball with the Rangers last year as he posted a 1.17 ERA with a 2.50 FIP and picked up 33 saves in 61 appearances. This year his ERA has ballooned to 4.31, but a 32.8% strikeout rate still offers some reason for optimism that he’ll be able to turn things around now that he’s healthy. Yates joins a Dodgers bullpen that is presently relying on Blake Treinen and Ben Casparius in the late innings from the right side.

Giants Select Joel Peguero

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves today, recalling outfielder Luis Matos and selecting right-hander Joel Peguero. In corresponding active roster moves, they have optioned outfielder Grant McCray and right-hander Kai-Wei Teng. Left-hander Erik Miller has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot.

Peguero, 28, makes it to the majors for the first time. It was a long journey. He originally signed with the Rays as an international amateur way back in 2016. Even then he was a bit on the old side, as most international amateurs sign when first eligible at 16 and have verbal deals well before that. That was Peguero’s age-19 season.

In the following decade, he spent many years with the Rays but eventually moved around to the Rockies, Nationals and Tigers without getting a major league call. He signed a minor league deal with the Giants coming into 2025.

He has thrown 42 1/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 5.10 earned run average. That’s obviously not a great number but it’s come in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and Peguero has a .353 batting average on balls in play and 68.3% strand rate this year, both unfortunate numbers. He is averaging close to 100 miles per hour on his two fastballs while also throwing a cutter, slider and changeup around 90 mph. That arsenal has helped him strike out 24.1% of batters faced, though also with a 12% walk rate.

The Giants have fallen to 6.5 games back of a playoff spot, so they are surely leaning towards decisions that prioritize the future over this year. They sold at the deadline and can now use the remainder of the season to get looks at some other players. They can throw Peguero out there in front of big league hitters and see how they handle his fiery stuff. If he can get outs, perhaps he can earn a role on next year’s club.

Sending Teng down to the minors opens a job in the rotation. Manager Bob Melvin tells reporters, including Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle, that Carson Whisenhunt will be coming up to start tomorrow’s game. However, Landen Roupp is also going on the injured list. It was reported yesterday that Roupp has a left knee sprain and is going on the IL.

Justin Verlander is starting today’s game, with Logan Webb and Robbie Ray scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. The Giants are off on Monday, so it’s theoretically possible that they go back to Verlander on Tuesday. They will need another starter at some point, however, as Tuesday’s game will be the first of nine in a row. Carson Seymour and Tristan Beck are currently working long relief roles and one of them could make a spot start, though the club also has a number of pitchers on optional assignment who could be recalled.

As for Miller, he landed on the 15-day IL in early July due to a mild sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. He started a rehab assignment this month but the club informed reporters this week that a recent MRI showed more inflammation and that he’ll be shut down for another two weeks. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those who relayed that update.

Miller’s 60-day count is retroactive to his initial IL placement, so he’ll be eligible for reinstatement in early September. However, based on the most recent information, it seems like he’ll just be finishing his shutdown period at that time. Even if he’s declared healthy at that point, he would likely need a bit of time to ramp up and go on another rehab assignment.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Giants To Place Landen Roupp On Injured List With Knee Sprain

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The Giants are placing starter Landen Roupp on the 15-day injured list with a left knee sprain, manager Bob Melvin informed reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). The right-hander is flying back to San Francisco for an MRI that’ll provide a more specific diagnosis.

Roupp suffered the injury in the third inning of tonight’s start in San Diego (video via SF Giants on NBCS). Ramón Laureano hit a comeback line drive that struck Roupp in the right thigh. While the ball itself didn’t cause an injury, the pitcher slipped on the mound as he tried to avoid it, tweaking his knee in the process. Trainers called for a cart to take him off the field.

With five weeks remaining in the regular season, it seems unlikely Roupp will make it back this year. The Giants have fallen five games under .500 and firmly out of contention. They’ll hope that testing doesn’t reveal any significant ligament damage that’d impact his offseason or threaten his availability for the early portion of next season.

Roupp, 27 next month, has had a solid first full season as a big league starter. He has taken the ball 22 times and worked to a 3.80 ERA over 106 2/3 innings. He has recorded a 21.4% strikeout rate while getting ground-balls at a league average 45.3% clip. He has looked the part of a capable mid-rotation arm until battling injuries over the past couple weeks. A minor bout of elbow inflammation sent him to the IL shortly before the trade deadline. Tonight’s start was his second since that three-week absence.

Justin Verlander pitches the finale in San Diego tomorrow. The Giants would have Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Kai-Wei Teng lined up for their weekend set in Milwaukee. An off day on Monday could allow them to skip Roupp’s turn in the rotation one time, but they might prefer to add a fifth starter to take the ball next Tuesday against the Cubs and give their rotation an extra day of rest. They’ll need another starter by the end of next week at the latest.

Unfortunately, one of their most intriguing depth arms won’t be a factor. Blade Tidwell, one of three players acquired from the Mets for Tyler Rogers, has begun his organizational tenure with 16 innings of three-run ball in Triple-A. Tidwell seemed to be on the verge of a call-up but reported shoulder discomfort yesterday (relayed by John Shea of The San Francisco Standard). He’s headed for an MRI of his own and won’t be an option for a big league call in the short term.

Giants Place Matt Chapman On 10-Day Injured List

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Prior to Friday’s 7-6 loss to the Rays, the Giants placed third baseman Matt Chapman on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 13.  (The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser was the first to report the IL placement.)  With right-hander Ryan Walker also going on the paternity list, the Giants addressed the two open roster spots by calling up right-hander Keaton Winn from Triple-A and activating righty Landen Roupp from the 15-day IL to make the start.

Chapman is dealing with inflammation in his right hand, and has taken a cortisone shot in an effort to try and return in a minimal amount of time.  Even then, as he told Slusser and other reporters Friday that his hand likely won’t be fully healed until the offseason.  It all stems from the initial hand injury that sidelined Chapman for about four weeks in June and early July, when he suffered sprains and bone bruises on three fingers on his right hand following a painful dive back to third base.

Even after returning from that first IL stint, Chapman was still playing through discomfort, leaving him “trying to push through it, do what I can.”  Things reached a breaking point within the last few days, when Chapman’s hand became sore enough that “I really felt like I couldn’t use my hand when I was swinging, and it just didn’t feel right.”

The numbers underline Chapman’s struggles.  The third baseman hit .243/.360/.452 over his first 272 place appearances of the season, but then batted just .200/.290/.365 over the 131 PA in between his two IL placements.

Chapman’s slump has been just one factor in a team-wide offensive shortage over the last month, which has led to the Giants’ big slide down the standings.  San Francisco is 7-21 over its last 28 games, which includes an ongoing six-game losing streak and a hard-to-believe stretch of 14 losses in the Giants’ last 15 home games.  Even if Chapman does return in a minimal amount of time and is able to regain his form at the plate, it may already be too late for the Giants to make a late push at a wild card slot.

Casey Schmitt is the likeliest fill-in for Chapman at third base, though Schmitt had to leave Friday’s game after being hit by a pitch.  In the postgame media session, Giants manager Bob Melvin told Slusser and company that x-rays were negative, though Schmitt may need to miss a few games to let his right forearm contusion heal up.  This could put Christian Koss in line for some third base playing time.

Giants Sign JT Brubaker To Minor League Deal

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The Giants have signed JT Brubaker to a minor league contract, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. He will report to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. The Yankees released the right-hander last week.

Brubaker, now 31, made 61 starts for the Pirates from 2020-22, more than any other pitcher on the team. Interestingly, his numbers in that span were quite similar to those of another Pirates righty, Mitch Keller. Brubaker gave Pittsburgh 315 2/3 innings with a 4.99 ERA, a 4.04 SIERA, and 3.0 FanGraphs WAR, while Keller tossed 281 1/3 frames with a 4.64 ERA, 4.67 SIERA, and 3.0 fWAR of his own. Brubaker beat out Keller for the Opening Day start in 2022, although Keller slightly outearned him (by less than $200,000) the following winter in their first year of arbitration eligibility.

Unfortunately for Brubaker, their paths notably diverged after that. While Keller made the All-Star team in 2023 and turned that strong performance into a five-year, $77 million extension in the offseason, Brubaker lost his 2023 campaign to Tommy John surgery. The Pirates traded him to the Yankees the following winter, and an oblique strain he suffered whilst rehabbing from his Tommy John kept him from coming off the IL in 2024. Then, he fractured three ribs this past spring, forcing him back to the injured list, where he stayed until June.

Finally, on June 21, Brubaker returned to the major leagues for the first time in almost three years. He did a good job limiting hits, and therefore runs, pitching to a solid 3.38 ERA, but he also gave up nine walks and one hit-by-pitch to just 10 strikeouts. His 4.67 xERA and 5.32 SIERA suggested his sub-4.00 ERA was too good to be true. Evidently, that’s what the Yankees thought, too, when they decided to release him and eat the money remaining on his contract for 2025.

The Giants will now give him a chance in their minor league system, and they’ll only have to pay him a prorated portion of the league minimum salary for any time he might spend on the big league roster. While injuries have plagued him the last three seasons, he was a productive innings eater for three years before that. San Francisco could certainly use the pitching depth, so it would not be surprising to see him back in the majors before the 2025 season is up.

Orioles Claim Daniel Johnson

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The Orioles announced that they have claimed outfielder Daniel Johnson off waivers from the Giants. The latter club designated him for assignment last week. The O’s also selected the contract of right-hander José Espada and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. Their 40-man roster was at 39, meaning they needed to open one spot. They did so by designating righty Houston Roth for assignment.

The O’s clearly like Johnson. They signed him to a minor league deal ahead of the 2024 season. He was called up in September of last year but only got into one game before being optioned back down to the minors. He was outrighted off the roster at the end of the season and elected free agency. He signed a minor league deal with the Giants this year and got selected to the big league roster in June. He was designated for assignment a few days ago and the O’s have taken the opportunity to bring him back.

Johnson’s major league track record is still fairly limited. He has 126 plate appearances dating back to his 2020 debut with a .193/.238/.336 slash. The O’s are presumably more interested in his minor league track record. From the start of 2023 to the present, he has 1,236 minor league plate appearances with a combined .267/.333/.469 line and 107 wRC+. He also has 54 stolen bases in that time, though has been caught stealing 19 times in the process.

Ahead of the deadline, the O’s subtracted from their outfield by trading Cedric Mullins, Ramón Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn. Since then, they lost Colton Cowser and Tyler O’Neill to the injured list. That leaves them with a current outfield mix of Jeremiah Jackson, Dylan Carlson, Greg Allen, Jordyn Adams and Ryan Noda. Johnson could jump right into that group, though he’s also optionable for the rest of the year and could end up with Triple-A Norfolk.

As for Espada, he signed a minor league deal with the O’s a couple of weeks back. The fact that he has been added to the 40-man roster but optioned to the minors suggests that there was some kind of opt-out or upward mobility clause in the deal. The O’s seemingly don’t have an immediate big league roster spot for him but also didn’t want him to get away, so they’ve added him to the 40-man.

Since joining the O’s, he has tossed six Triple-A innings, allowing four earned runs via four hits and two walks while striking out eight. He has just one inning of big league experience, which came with the 2023 Padres. In the minors, he has generally been able to miss bats but also miss the strike zone. He was with the Padres on a minor league deal until being released recently, when he signed with the O’s. Between the two organizations, he has thrown 43 1/3 innings on the farm this year with a 3.74 earned run average, 37.1% strikeout rate and 11.8% walk rate.

In addition to their aforementioned outfielders, the Orioles also traded away a number of relievers at the deadline. Bryan Baker, Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez and Andrew Kittredge were all sent out the door in July, opening up bullpen opportunities. Espada isn’t getting called up today but his roster spot puts him in good position to get called up later.

As for Roth, he was just selected to the roster a couple of weeks ago, in the wake of the Domínguez trade. He was optioned down to the minors a few days later before appearing in a game, so he’s still looking to make his major league debut.

With the trade deadline having passed, he is destined for the waiver wire in the coming days. Somewhat similar to Espada, his minor league work features strikeouts and walks in big numbers. Primarily a starter earlier in his career, he has worked exclusively as a reliever since the start of 2024. In that time, he has thrown 92 innings on the farm with a 2.93 ERA, 30.1% strikeout rate and 11.3% walk rate.

He still has a full slate of options and almost no service time. If any other club is interested enough in his minor league work to put in a claim, he could be a cheap depth arm for the foreseeable future.

Photo courtesy of Eakin Howard, Imagn Images

Justin Verlander “Would Like To Continue Pitching” In 2026

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Justin Verlander’s 20th big league season hasn’t been one of his standout years, as he now has a 4.53 ERA over 99 1/3 innings following today’s tough outing (five earned runs on 11 hits and a walk over five innings) against the last-place Nationals.  Between these numbers and the 5.48 ERA Verlander posted over 90 1/3 frames during his injury-marred 2024 season, it is easy to speculate that time has finally caught up to the future Hall-of-Famer.

However, Verlander wants to keep going, telling the San Francisco Standard’s John Shea that he wants to return in 2026.  This isn’t exactly new news since Verlander has previously indicated that he would like to pitch into his mid-40s, and he turns 43 in February.  However, he did attach some injury-related caveats to his plans, which makes sense given the health concerns Verlander has dealt with in recent years.

“At this point in my career, if something goes really wrong, I’m not going to rehab a surgery or anything,” Verlander said.  “I always understand that it could be it, but I think physically, I’ve shown some good health this season.  As I’ve been on the mound, things have started to get better and better.  To me, that’s a good sign with all the work I put in after my nerve injury last year, which notoriously takes a long time.  The ball’s rolling in the right direction, and I would like to continue pitching.  You never know.  It’s a fickle game too, but I think the stuff is still there.”

The Giants signed Verlander to a one-year, $15MM free agent deal last winter, as San Francisco chose to invest in Verlander’s history rather than his more immediate struggles in 2024.  The right-hander had a 4.33 ERA over his first 52 innings before a pectoral strain cost him about a month of playing time from mid-May to mid-June.  Verlander’s overall production has been about the same since returning from the 15-day IL, though it seemed like he was turning a corner by posting a 2.66 ERA in the 23 2/3 innings prior to today’s clunker against Washington.

While a lost month isn’t insignificant, it is understandable that Verlander is a lot more confident about his health now than he was last year, when he was limited by both early-season shoulder problems and then his nerve injury in his neck.  Verlander admitted last September that he probably tried to return too quickly from his neck problem, and his lack of results led the Astros to leave him off their playoff roster.  Comparatively speaking, a pec strain is a much less serious type of injury, and if Verlander can get through the remainder of the 2025 campaign in good shape, it will line him up well to explore a return for next year.

Another one-year contract seems inevitable given Verlander’s age, and what could be two years of unimpressive numbers if he can’t get things turned around during the rest of the Giants’ schedule.  Beyond just the bottom-line ERA, Verlander’s Statcast numbers have a troubling amount of blue shade, with below-average strikeout and walk rates.  The latter statistic is notable since Verlander hadn’t posted a below-average walk rate since 2017 — he had a very impressive 5.3 BB% during the 2018-24 seasons.

As much as front offices are more concerned with future performance rather than past results, Verlander’s track record is hard to ignore.  He was still posting elite numbers as recently as 2022, when he won his third career Cy Young Award to help lead the Astros to a World Series title (for the second ring of Verlander’s career).  The righty followed that year up with a less-elite but still impressive 2023 season that saw Verlander deliver a 3.22 ERA across 162 1/3 innings with the Mets and Astros, though his strikeout rate dropped off dramatically this year and has yet to recover.

Chances are another team will take a shot at signing Verlander to see if he can recapture a bit of his old magic in his age-43 season.  Playing for a contender will surely be at the top of Verlander’s priority list, so a return to San Francisco could hinge on whether or not the former ace thinks the Giants are ready to turn the corner and make a playoff push in 2026.  The Giants were reportedly open to trading Verlander before the deadline, as part of the team’s desire to move some short-term veteran contracts.

There is no doubt Verlander will be heading to Cooperstown when he eventually hangs up the cleats, but sticking around for another season will push him even further up several all-time leaderboards.  In recording six strikeouts against the Nationals today, Verlander now has 3503 career Ks, making him the tenth pitcher in MLB history to top the 3500-strikeout threshold.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/9/25

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Leading up to the trade deadline, dozens of moves were made. In the wake of those trades, several players were designated for assignment. Here are the results of a few recent DFAs which MLBTR hasn’t yet covered…

  • Right-hander Sean Hjelle has been sent outright to Triple-A Sacramento, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment by the Giants when they traded Tyler Rogers to the Mets. Two of the players the Giants received, José Buttó and Blade Tidwell, required 40-man roster spots. The departure of Rogers opened one spot, with Hjelle DFA’d to open another. This was Hjelle’s first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, meaning he didn’t have the right to elect free agency. He will give the Giants non-roster depth and try to earn his way back to the majors. His Triple-A numbers have been good this year, having tossed 41 2/3 innings with a 2.81 ERA, 25.7% strikeout rate, 5.7% walk rate and 52.7% ground ball rate.
  • Left-hander Zach Penrod has been outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment by the Dodgers when left-hander Blake Snell was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. This was his first career outright and he has less than three years of big league service time, meaning he had to accept the assignment. Penrod was just acquired from the Red Sox in a DFA trade in June and was kept on optional assignment, so he still hasn’t pitched for the Dodgers in the majors.
  • Right-hander Connor Gillispie has been outrighted to Triple-A St. Paul, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been designated for assignment by the Twins in late July when Michael Tonkin was selected. This was Gillispie’s first career outright and he has less than three years of big league service time, meaning he had to accept the assignment. He reported to the Saints but they put him on the minor league injured list a few days later. It’s unclear what his current health status is but he hasn’t pitched since July 27th.
  • Right-hander Geoff Hartlieb is back with the Tigers on a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment in late July when Detroit signed Luke Jackson. Hartlieb cleared waivers and elected free agency, which was his right as a player with a previous career outright, but reunited with the Tigers on a new minor league deal. He has a 7.95 career ERA in the majors but better minor league numbers. He has tossed 41 Triple-A innings this year with a 3.29 ERA, 27.5% strikeout rate, 6% walk rate and 40.6% ground ball rate.

Photo courtesy of Eakin Howard, Imagn Images

Alex Wood Announces Retirement

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Alex Wood announced his retirement in a social media post on Friday afternoon. The 34-year-old southpaw steps away after an MLB career that spanned parts of 12 seasons and included an All-Star nod and a World Series title.

“For over half my life, every decision I’ve made has centered around how it would impact my baseball career. I’ve given every ounce of myself in pursuit of my lifelong dream of becoming a big leaguer. Playing 12 years in the show, reaching seven postseasons, winning a World Series, and earning an All-Star selection — I never could’ve imagined it would turn out this way,” Wood wrote.

“Baseball was my first love. Outside of God and my family, nothing else has shaped me the way this game has. Even writing this, I can’t help but smile thinking about how much I still love the game after all this time.” Wood goes on to thank his teammates, coaches, former teams, family and agents in a statement that readers can see in the post.

Wood attended the University of Georgia and was a second-round pick by the Braves in 2012. He was in the big leagues less than a year later. Wood turned in a 3.13 ERA in 77 2/3 innings in a swing role during the ’13 season. He helped the Braves to a 96-win season and an NL East title, making his first two playoff appearances in a Division Series loss to the Dodgers. He posted a 2.78 ERA across 171 2/3 innings a year later, seemingly establishing himself as a long-term rotation piece in Atlanta.

That’s not how things played out. Wood was carrying a 3.54 ERA over 20 starts the following year when the Braves made the regrettable decision to send him to the Dodgers in a 13-player, three-team trade to get then-prospect Hector Olivera. (Olivera went on to bat .245 in 30 major league games before a suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy ended his career.) Wood dealt with a few injuries but had a strong run in Los Angeles, highlighted by a career year in 2017.

That season, the southpaw won a career-high 16 games while posting a 2.72 earned run average in 27 regular season appearances. Wood earned his lone All-Star nod and finished ninth in NL Cy Young voting. He added 12 1/3 frames of four-run ball with 13 strikeouts in the postseason. It was the first of consecutive seasons in which he played a big role in the Dodgers winning the pennant. They returned to the Fall Classic in 2018, a season in which Wood recorded a 3.68 ERA over 151 2/3 innings.

Wood’s first stint in Dodger blue ended after their second straight World Series defeat. Los Angeles packaged him alongside Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Kyle Farmer to the Reds for prospects Josiah Gray and Jeter Downs (whom they’d later include in respective trades for Max Scherzer/Trea Turner and Mookie Betts). Wood was a rental, and his only season in Cincinnati was marred by back problems.

He returned to L.A. the following winter on a buy-low $4MM free agent pact. Shoulder trouble combined with the shortened schedule limited him to 12 2/3 regular season innings, but Wood contributed 6 2/3 frames of one-run ball in October as the Dodgers went on to win the World Series. He signed with the Giants on a $3MM contract that winter. That proved an adept pickup, as Wood was able to make 26 starts while working to a 3.83 ERA for San Francisco’s shocking 107-win team. He worked 4 2/3 scoreless against the Dodgers in his lone playoff start, though the Giants came up just short in a five-game Division Series.

Wood re-signed with San Francisco on a two-year, $25MM free agent deal that didn’t pan out. He had an ERA north of 5.00 in 2022 and struggled with injuries the following season. He gave it another go on an $8.5MM contract with the A’s last year. His body again couldn’t hold up, as he only made nine starts before suffering a rotator cuff injury that required season-ending surgery. It’s an unfortunate ending but hardly diminishes Wood’s overall body of work.

He tallied more than 1200 innings with a 3.78 ERA between five teams. Wood won 77 games and recorded more than 1100 strikeouts. He was a solid playoff performer as well, posting a 3.11 mark in 37 2/3 innings divided across seven seasons. Injuries limited the volume, especially later in his career, but Wood was a quality mid-rotation starter when healthy throughout his 20s. He has a World Series ring and collected over $60MM in earnings, according to Baseball Reference. MLBTR congratulates Wood on an impressive career and wishes him the best in retirement.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Giants Select Drew Gilbert, Designate Daniel Johnson For Assignment

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The Giants announced that outfielder Jerar Encarnación has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 7th, with a right hamstring strain. To fill his spot on the active roster, they have selected outfielder Drew Gilbert. To open a 40-man spot for Gilbert, outfielder Daniel Johnson has been designated for assignment.

Gilbert, 24, has been in the system less than two weeks. He was one of three players the Giants acquired when trading Tyler Rogers to the Mets ahead of the deadline. That was actually the second trade of Gilbert’s career. Originally drafted by the Astros, he was sent to the Mets in the 2023 deadline deal which sent Justin Verlander back to Houston.

Though he was once seen as a top 100 prospect, his stock isn’t quite that high anymore. Baseball America ranked him as the #77 prospect in all of baseball ahead of the 2023 season. Gilbert had just been drafted 28th overall in the summer of 2022. He then made his professional debut by playing ten games in the lower levels of Houston’s system, slashing .313/.405/.531 in a tiny sample of 39 plate appearances.

As he has climbed the minor league ladder, he has continued to perform, though it’s possible he may be a decent all-around player without a standout tool. This year, he has 408 minor league plate appearances. His 12.3% walk rate and 16.2% strikeout rate are both better than average. He has hit 14 home runs and stolen six bases. His combined .262/.369/.466 batting line leads to a 119 wRC+. He has played all three outfield positions.

BA listed him as the #14 prospect in the Mets’ system prior to last month’s trade. They note that he is basically decent at everything. He makes contact and hits a few home runs. He’s an above-average runner. While he can hold his own in center, he might be destined for right field.

For the Giants, he’s a sensible flier to take. Rogers is 34 years old and was about to hit free agency. Once the club slid in the standings, they made it their priority to focus on the future. They also traded Mike Yastrzemski, opening some outfield playing time. Encarnación’s injury opens up some more, at least for the short term.

Going into next year, the Giants have two outfield spots spoken for by Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos. They can use the remainder of their season to get a look at Gilbert and see if he can earn a spot. Guys like Grant McCray, Luis Matos, Marco Luciano and Wade Meckler could also be in the mix, though the latter three are all on pace to be out of options next year. That could make it harder for them to hold a 40-man spot through the winter.

Johnson, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Giants in May. He was selected to the 40-man roster in June. He has since slashed .172/.226/.345 in 31 plate appearances. That gives him a career .193/.238/.336 line in 126 trips to the plate, dating back to his 2020 debut.

Now that he’s been bumped into DFA limbo and the trade deadline has passed, he’ll have to be placed on waivers. He has generally hit well in the minors. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has a combined .267/.333/.469 line and 107 wRC+ on the farm. He is still optionable for the rest of this season but will be out of options next year.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

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