Giants Designate Mauricio Llovera For Assignment

The Giants designated right-hander Mauricio Llovera for assignment today, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The move clears space on the active roster for right-hander Luke Jackson, who the club has activated from the 15-day IL. San Francisco’s 40-man roster now stands at 39.

Llovera, 27, began his big league career with the Phillies before signing with the Giants on a minor league deal prior to the 2022 season. He was non-tendered last November but re-signed on a fresh minor league deal shortly thereafter. Though Llovera has pitched in the majors during parts of four seasons, he’s thrown just 29 1/3 big league innings with a 6.14 ERA and 6.19 FIP in that time. That being said, Llovera does sport a solid 2.82 ERA in 92 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level throughout his career, and his most recent stint with the Giants was a solid one despite its brevity. In 5 1/3 innings of work with San Francisco this season, Llovera sports a 1.69 ERA with a 23.1% strikeout rate.

Llovera’s departure opens the door for Jackson to return to the Giants’ bullpen. Jackson, 31, spent his entire career with the Braves prior to signing in San Francisco on a two-year deal prior to the 2023 season. While Jackson posted a sensational 1.98 ERA in 63 2/3 innings of work back in 2021, he missed the entire 2022 campaign due to Tommy John surgery and returned to the mound just two months ago. He looked good in 8 1/3 innings of work for the Giants in June, but his return was cut short by a low-back strain that has kept him out for nearly a month. Now that Jackson’s healthy again, he figures to factor into the club’s late-inning mix alongside Camilo Doval, Taylor Rogers, and Tyler Rogers.

Going forward, the Giants will have one week to trade, waive, or release Llovera. Llovera’s been outrighted previously in his career, meaning if the Giants successfully pass him through waivers, Llovera will have the opportunity to reject an outright assignment and test the open market.