The Giants put designated hitter Jorge Soler on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 5, due to a shoulder strain. San Francisco recalled Heliot Ramos from Triple-A Sacramento to take the open roster spot. Ramos is in tonight’s lineup as the DH against Colorado righty Peter Lambert.
Soler inked a three-year, $42MM free agent deal in the middle of February. San Francisco hoped he’d add a needed power presence to the middle of the lineup after hitting 36 homers for the Marlins last season. That isn’t how things have played out thus far. While Soler is tied for the team lead with five home runs, he’s hitting .202/.294/.361 through 136 plate appearances overall. He fell into a particularly poor stretch in the week and a half leading up to the injury. Soler has just three hits in his last 10 games.
It’s not clear how long he’ll be out of action. The Giants could rotate a few players through the DH spot in his absence. Wilmer Flores got a couple starts there while Soler was day-to-day. Ramos, 24, should also get some run now that he’s back in the majors. The former first-round pick has seen his stock fall in recent years because of continued strikeout issues in the upper minors. He’s out to a strong start in Sacramento, though, hitting eight homers with a .296/.388/.565 slash over 134 trips. He’s still striking out at an elevated 27.6% clip, but he’s drawing walks and hitting for power.
While the Giants lose one of their biggest offseason pickups, they could welcome back another in the near future. Blake Snell has been out since April 23 with an adductor strain. The defending NL Cy Young winner will throw a bullpen session tomorrow and is scheduled for a rehab start at Low-A San Jose this weekend, tweets Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Snell has struggled over his first three starts with the Giants. The left-hander has surrendered 15 runs through 11 2/3 innings. He has fanned 12 but allowed 18 hits and issued five walks.
crazybaseballgal
I hope they let Snell build up in the minors rather than just quickly move him back to MLB. He had NO Spring Training
semut
Jordan Montgomery seems to have done just fine
Pickle_Britches
I know right plus Smell is costing the Giants a Draft pick. Not like they are worthy of picking talent lately
Jean Matrac
Ramos can’t be that much less productive than Soler has been. Hopefully the time off will help Soler get it together.
mlb fan
“Less productive than Soler”…The S.F Giants are paying around $85M/yr for around 1 W.A.R from Soler, Conforto, Chapman & Snell. Soler and Conforto in particular have never really been year to year consistent so it’s not really surprising Miami & New York made little effort to retain them.
foppert2
Except for the 100m offer the Mets made to Conforto.
mlb fan
That Met’s offer was made the year before Conforto’s walk year when he actually played well. The year he actually left they did make him a qualifying offer, but never really engaged on long term deal talks.
foppert2
Yes. Jorge needs to take the opportunity to hit refresh.
MLB Top 100 Commenter
The only way to get peace in the Midldle East is to make oil worthless. Go Soler!
Datashark
hope they have a game plan for small ball
case
Criminally stupid offseason signings.
yeasties
Seemed reasonable at the time?
amk1920
Soler has had a wildly inconsistent career. If you bought high on him after a good season you got played
foppert2
Sssshhhhh. Don’t be spoiling their hindsight expertise.
case
Chapman has been offensively suspect for a very long time now. Snell’s inconsistency wasn’t worth a opt out heavy contract that trades one potentially good year for a 3 year albatross. Soler’s was the most rational of the big signings but still, a 3 year guarantee for a DH slot hitter that also isn’t particularly consistent… based on the past 8 years you don’t really need hindsight to predict the front office’s incompetence.
foppert2
They needed a leader and defence. Hence Chapman. Soler was the offence purchase.
Snell is only 2 years and whatever happens there, it can’t be described as an albatross. It’s not 5 for 150.
case
Check with the A’s and Jays, Chapman is the exact opposite of a team leader.
foppert2
Ok. I’ll listen. Fire away. Tell me what you now about Chapman being the exact opposite of a leader.
foppert2
Hello……the silence is deafening.
In that case, I’ll stick with Melvin as a source on the guys leadership qualities.
case
Sounds like tinnitus mixed with a blind trust of public relations. Past articles here discussing his surprisingly long period as a free agent cover the discussion of his general temperament, granted they’re buried under a mountain of Boras hate.
foppert2
Sounds like a cop out.
nukeg
It would be interesting to see how many of these late FA signs have or have been recently injured.
Rsox
All that swinging and missing is tough on the shoulders
HiredGun23
Who didn’t see this playing out…
Non Roster Invitee
Farhan Zaidi.
foppert2
Ha ha. That opt out lasted a long time. So resilient, Jim. Impressive effort.
Non Roster Invitee
I guess nobody got the “opt out” joke.
foppert2
Nope.
Non Roster Invitee
Get some humor floppert. I mentioned his name and you need Depends.
foppert2
It wasn’t remotely funny. Not my fault
foppert2
Just about every baseball commentator that’s paid to comment on the game.
amk1920
Great contract Farhan. Giants finally find people to take their money and only Hicks has performed
foppert2
Ha ha. 5 weeks into a 4 year deal. Oh the haste to be a richard.
Mikenmn
Soler is in his eleventh season. He has a career (career) BWAR of 5.8.. $42 M over three years is smart?
foppert2
Yes. They needed power. He was ranked 16 in FA’s and projected at 3 for 45. Don’t remember a single writer or commentator criticising the deal.
It’s only know that fan gurus are sticking their chest out and claiming they knew it all along. Pathetic.
oldgfan
Then when he gets hot and bangs 30 all the naysayers disappear into the mist.
foppert2
Of course. I’ve got it as scurrying back into their holes, but mist will do.
oldgfan
Gotta admit the hole scurrying is a better visual .
stymeedone
Being ranked 16 in FAs is meaningless. How was he ranked as a player overall? It was not a strong FA group. Lots of players with fleas. His salary projections were also based on scarcity. Lastly, like any FA, he signed with SF for a contract that 29 other teams weren’t willing to pay.
foppert2
The class was the class. 16 is a good indicator of where he sat with expert opinion, as was his salary projection. 29 teams didn’t have the same need as the Giants. Of course 29 teams weren’t willing to pay it. You have no idea how many offered him a contract and what they were willing to pay.
amk1920
They needed power so they signed a glorified Chris Carter to a contract for almost triple his worth!
JoeBrady
foppert213 hours ago
Yes. They needed power.
=======================
Soler was just a flat-out bad signing.
From 2014-2018, had had an OPS+ of 103.
From 2020-2022, he had an OPS+ of 99.
His only good years were 2019 with the rabbit ball, and 2023, playing for a contract.
foppert2
It was about HR’s.
Non Roster Invitee
I remember the Rennie Stennett free agent signing!
Zombie Bukowski
Why hasn’t the genius Bob got these guys to perform up to standards?
Pickle_Britches
Soler is worthless. He’s so inconsistent and always injured. Not someone worthy of a 3 year deal. Ramos or Matos would of been just fine. They need to get rid of Farhan. He can’t do nothing right. Farm is probably one of the worst and they have one of the worst lineups. And they’ll forfeit 2 draft picks, international money and on the verge of luxury tax penalty. All for the same team they had last year, a 4th place team at best.
Aoe3
Everyone was giving them an A or a B for their off season. I agreed as well. But stand by Chapman can’t hit, and Shnell seems behind with no spring. Soler should bounce back.
JoeBrady
Everyone was giving them an A or a B for their off season.
======================
Baseball writers, almost 100%, give credit for the most signings. FB writers can easily give A for drafting Bowers, but a C for the overall draft based on fit.
For BB writers, the idea of fit and value is a moot point.
scottn59c
I thought that the offseason got off to a terrible start, but that the Giants had redeemed themselves by the end of it. I did not foresee Soler being as ineffective as he has been. I think the real mistake, though, was signing the Boras clients that no one else wanted. The whole league seemed to know those guys were damaged goods.
I’ve been critical of Zaidi here before, but the truth is that there really wasn’t much else he could have done. Provided that he couldn’t sign Ohtani or Yamamoto, it was going to either be rolling out the untested rookies, or spending big on the second tier of free agents. Either option, as it turns out, was probably doomed and was going to be second-guessed. I do think he’ll be looking for a new organization this offseason.
CarolinaCubsandKush
Well, there was a reason Soler and Chapman went unsigned for so long….
Pickle_Britches
Lee was a solid player for his country but locking him up because of the ability to not K and supposedly good hit tool to a huge contract don’t make sense. Avg D below avg wheels, no pop and a low OBP leadoff hitter. Matos has been waiting lol