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Aramis Garcia

Rangers Claim Aramis Garcia From Giants

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The Rangers announced that they’ve claimed catcher Aramis Garcia off waivers from the Giants, who had designated him for assignment Friday. The waiver claim brings the Rangers’ 40-man roster to a total of 39 players.

Garcia, 27, at one point looked like he could potentially factor into the Giants’ long-term catching outlook in some regard. He’s never rated as an elite prospect, but the 2014 second-rounder has a respectable track record in Triple-A and debuted with a .268/.308/.492 slash through 65 plate appearances in 2018.

However, Garcia saw only sparing time in the Majors in 2019, and he underwent hip surgery back in February that wiped out his entire 2020 season. Top catching prospect Joey Bart debuted this past season, meanwhile, and Giants icon Buster Posey is expected back in 2021 after opting out of the previous season.

Garcia seems to be a good fit for the catching-needy Rangers, who have a well-regarded prospect of their own looming in Sam Huff. Jose Trevino figures to get the bulk of the work while Huff heads to Triple-A to begin the 2021 season, but Garcia should have a chance to earn a spot and a part-time role in Spring Training — assuming he’s healthy.

Giants Designate Chris Shaw, Aramis Garcia, Jordan Humphreys

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The Giants have designated first baseman/outfielder Chris Shaw, catcher Aramis Garcia and right-hander Jordan Humphreys for assignment. They added outfielder Alexander Canario and righties Kervin Castro, Camilo Doval and Gregory Santos to their 40-man roster in corresponding moves.

Shaw was once a well-regarded prospect for the Giants, but the 27-year-old hasn’t gotten an extensive look in the majors yet. He’s the owner of a .153/.244/.222 line in 82 plate appearances as a Giant. Like Shaw, Garcia was seen as a promising farmhand in the past, but he stumbled to a .229/.270/.419  mark in 111 trips to the plate in San Francisco from 2018-19.

Humphreys was the return the Giants received from the Mets for outfielder Billy Hamilton last August. The deal could go down as a wash for both sides, as Hamilton is now a free agent after making little impact with the Mets and Humphreys hasn’t contributed to the Giants. The 24-year-old barely pitched at all from 2018-19 because of arm problems.

Giants Outright Three Players

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves today (via Maria Guardado of MLB.com). Right-handers Tyler Beede and Reyes Moronta, outfielder Joey Rickard and catcher Aramís García were all reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Rickard cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento. As a player with more than three years of MLB service, Rickard can choose to reject the assignment and become a free agent.

Also clearing outright waivers were catcher Tyler Heineman and left-hander Anthony Banda. Like Rickard, both players had the right to hit the open market. Banda, though, has already agreed to a new minor-league deal with San Francisco.

Rickard, a former Oriole Rule 5 pick, was limited to six plate appearances in 2020. He’s a career .246/.300/.371 hitter. Heineman has taken 62 uninspiring trips to the plate over the past two seasons but amassed a solid resume in the high minors. Once a well-regarded prospect in the Diamondbacks’ and Rays’ systems, Banda has been limited by injuries to 51.1 innings across four MLB seasons. The southpaw has a career 5.96 ERA/3.67 FIP. San Francisco’s 40-man roster sits at 37 players.

West Health Notes: A’s, D-backs, Mariners, Giants, Rangers

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Players who are at high risk of contracting the coronavirus have the right to opt out of participating this season, but they’d still receive full pay and service time. Athletics reliever Jake Diekman, who has ulcerative colitis and who had his colon removed in 2017, is one of those players. Diekman, however, informed Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he has no interest in opting out of the campaign – at least, not yet. “I’ve never thought once about opting out,” said the southpaw, though he added: “Say two or three guys on the team get it, we’ve all been around each other. I don’t know if I’d opt out in the middle of the season, but it definitely worries you.” Slusser also spoke with A’s utility player Chad Pinder, whose wife is expecting a baby in September, about the season. Pinder said, in part: “We have to do it right — or it just might not work. But there is a risk to this.”

  • An unnamed player on the Diamondbacks tested positive for the coronavirus in Arizona within the last month, general manager Mike Hazen said Wednesday (via Bob Nightengale of USA Today). That player was not using their facility, though, Hazen added. It’s unclear how his recovery has gone.
  • The Mariners have “had a few players test positive” for the virus, general manager Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday (via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). Fortunately, Dipoto went on to reveal that “they’re asymptomatic, and they feel great.”
  • More on the Mariners, who are uncertain whether outfielder Mitch Haniger will be ready for the resumption of spring training, according to GM Jerry Dipoto (via Divish). The past year has been an injury-filled nightmare for Haniger, who only played in 63 games in 2019 and then underwent two offseason surgeries – one a core procedure, the other a dissectomy. In better news for the Mariners, reliever Austin Adams – who underwent surgery on a torn ACL last fall – is set for camp. The 29-year-old Adams may have broken out for the Mariners last season with 32 innings of 3.94 ERA ball and a whopping 14.91 K/9.
  • Giants corner infielder Pablo Sandoval and lefties Tony Watson and Tyler Anderson will all be good to go for camp’s return, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets (1, 2). Catcher Aramis Garcia could be ready to come back in mid- to late August, meanwhile, and reliever Reyes Moronta may be set by then or in September. Sandoval had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last September; Watson dealt with shoulder issues before spring training shut down; Anderson underwent a procedure on his left knee last summer; Garcia’s still recovering from February hip surgery; and Moronta’s on the mend from the right shoulder surgery he had in September.
  • Rangers left-hander Joely Rodriguez is back to throwing after suffering a lat strain in April, but he won’t be ready for the start of the season, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Rodriguez should return at some point during the campaign, though. Texas lured Rodriguez back to the majors on a a two-year, $5.5MM contract in free agency after the former Phillie thrived in Japan from 2018-19.

Giants Claim Jose Siri

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The Giants have claimed outfielder Jose Siri off waivers from the Mariners, per an announcement from both clubs. San Francisco has placed injured catcher Aramis Garcia on the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

It’s the second waiver claim of the offseason for the 24-year-old Siri, who two years ago was ranked as one of the top prospects in the Reds organization. Back in 2017, Siri hit .293/.341/.530 slash with 24 homers and 46 steals in the Class-A Midwest League as a 22-year-old, earning him a spot on the back of FanGraphs’ Top 100 prospect list.

Unfortunately, over the past two seasons, Siri has struggled immensely. His on-base percentage across three minor league levels has checked in south of .300, and his 2019 campaign produced only a .237/.300/.357 slash between Double-A and Triple-A. Thus far in Spring Training, Siri has two hits (including a homer) and seven strikeouts in a dozen plate appearances.

Siri has a minor league option remaining, so he can be used as an up-and-down depth piece in San Francisco if the Giants see fit. It’s also possible that the Giants could try to pass Siri through waivers themselves in hopes of retaining him without committing a roster spot to him (not an uncommon tactic for president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi).

Giants’ Aramis Garcia Out 6-8 Months

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Labrum surgery is going to keep San Francisco Giants catcher Aramis Garcia out of action for the next six to eight months. Garcia had been a decent bet to make the Opening Day roster as the backup to Buster Posey, but after injuring his hip during winter ball, Garcia won’t return until midseason at the earliest, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports (twitter links).

After starting behind the dish for just shy of 70% of Giants games from 2012 to 2016, starting catcher Buster Posey has taken more time away from home in recent seasons, lowering his workload to closer to 60% over the past three campaigns. As Posey spends more time covering first, there’s plenty of opportunity behind the dish for Posey’s backup, a role shared last season by Erik Kratz, Stephen Vogt and Garcia.

Garcia spent most of the last two seasons in Triple-A, making just 17 and 12 starts with the big league club, respectively, in 2018 and 2019. But after slashing .271/.343/.488 in Triple-A last year, the 27-year-old Garcia was poised to make a run at being Posey’s primary seat-filler in 2020. The injury comes at a particularly inopportune time for both Garcia and the Giants, as the organization is not yet ready to hand the role to top prospect Joey Bart, per Pavlovic.

With Garcia now on the shelf and Bart likely ticketed to start the season in Triple-A, non-roster invitees Tyler Heineman, Rob Brantly and Chadwick Tromp are the top candidates to backup Posey. A few free agents remain on the market should the Giants decide to look outside the organization, namely veterans Russell Martin and Jonathan Lucroy.

Giants Select Fernando Abad’s Contract, Designate Kyle Barraclough

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves, including the news that catcher Aramis Garcia and left-hander Williams Jerez were optioned to Triple-A Sacramento and right-hander Kyle Barraclough has been designated for assignment.  Right-hander Dereck Rodriguez was called up and left-hander Fernando Abad’s contract was purchased from Triple-A.

After signing a minors contract with the Giants in February, Abad is lined up to receive his first MLB action since 2017.  His 2018 season was marred by a lengthy appeal of a positive PED test that eventually led to an 80-game suspension.  Abad had agreed to a minor league deal with the Mets prior to the season but the suspension caused New York to pull out of the agreement before it became official.  Pitching for Sacramento this season, Abad has been very impressive, posting a 3.07 ERA and 49 strikeouts against only four walks over 44 relief innings.

Rodriguez will get another chance at salvaging what has been a rough sophomore season for the 27-year-old, who has a 5.32 ERA, 5.9 K/9, and 1.68 K/BB rate over 64 1/3 frames this season.  It’s a far cry from Rodriguez’s 2.81 ERA in his 2018 rookie season, as the righty has been up and down from the minors on multiple occasions this season as he has tried to regain last year’s consistency.  He’ll be put to work immediately, as Rodriguez is scheduled to start tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks.

Barraclough was claimed off waivers from the Nationals just last week, and now could potentially be on the move again in what has been a trying season.  Barraclough allowed eight homers in just 25 2/3 innings for the Nats, leading to an ugly 2.5 HR/9 and 6.66 ERA.  After posting a measly 0.4 HR/9 in his first three seasons for the Marlins, Barraclough’s number jumped up to 1.4 HR/9 in 2018, which was perhaps one of the reasons Miami was willing to deal in a trade with Washington last October.  Beyond the increasingly worrisome long-ball issues, Barraclough also spent roughly four weeks on the injured list this year due to nerve irritation in his forearm.

Giants Place Buster Posey, Drew Pomeranz On Injured List

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1:07pm: It does not seem that Posey is dealing with a particularly worrying concussion, though obviously any injury of the sort is inherently concerning. That’s the message the veteran backstop conveyed to reporters including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

“When you’re dealing with the brain, you’ve got to be cautious,” says Posey. “I definitely value who I am and will be as a husband and father, first and foremost. At the same time, I enjoy doing my job and plan on doing my job.” 

11:19am: The Giants made a pair of injured list placements today. Catcher Buster Posey is going to the 7-day concussion IL, while lefty Drew Pomeranz was placed on the 10-day IL with a left lat strain.

Heading onto the active roster to take the open spots are backstop Aramis Garcia and righty Tyler Beede. Presumably, Stephen Vogt will handle the bulk of the duties behind the dish while Posey is down, though Garcia is in the lineup tonight to face a lefty starter. Beede will work from the bullpen upon his arrival but could also step into the rotation if Pomeranz ends up being sidelined for more than a single start.

Details on Posey’s situation aren’t yet clear, but it’s somewhat troubling news for a veteran backstop who has had at least some prior concussion troubles. As Kerry Crowley of the Mercury News notes, Posey was struck by several foul tips in the mask recently, which may be to blame.

NL West Notes: Holland, Kratz, Giants, Garcia, Shaw

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The latest from the NL West…

  • The Diamondbacks will use Greg Holland as their closer, Torey Lovullo told reporters (including the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro) today.  The veteran reliever didn’t exactly impress during Spring Training, posting a 12.27 ERA over 3 2/3 IP, yet Lovullo said the D’Backs made their decision based in part on Holland’s past closing experience.  Also, with Holland at closer, it frees Arizona to use Archie Bradley and Yoshihisa Hirano either as setup men or perhaps in other high-leverge situations earlier in games.  Holland is trying for a rebound year following a 2018 that saw him get off a rough start with the Cardinals, before somewhat righting the ship in the Nationals’ bullpen down the stretch.  He signed a one-year, $3.25MM contract with the D’Backs this winter, and Holland can more than double that total with $3.5MM available in incentives.
  • The newly-acquired Erik Kratz will be the Giants’ backup catcher, manager Bruce Bochy told NBC Sports’ Alex Pavlovic and other media.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that rookie Aramis Garcia will be sent down to Triple-A, as Bochy said the club is still thinking about carrying three catchers early in the year to account for Buster Posey’s recovery from hip surgery last summer.  As Pavlovic notes, however, keeping Garcia would create a bit of a roster crunch if the Giants stick with their plan of carrying 13 pitchers.
  • Bryan Shaw’s first season with the Rockies was a tough one, as the veteran reliever struggled to a 5.93 ERA over 54 2/3 innings.  This led to an offseason devoted to correcting Shaw’s mechanics, The Athletic’s Nick Groke writes (subscription required), which included discovering and correcting a flaw in the right-hander’s delivery, as well as a new strengthening program to keep Shaw’s shoulder in good condition.  While Shaw got off to a rough start in Spring Training as these changes took hold, he can begun to show better form in recent outings.  The Rockies are sorely in need of a bounce-back year from Shaw (not to mention Jake McGee and Mike Dunn) in order to reinforce a bullpen that lost Adam Ottavino to free agency.

Giants Promote Aramis Garcia

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SUNDAY: Both Garcia’s promotion and Posey’s DL placement are now official, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic was among those to tweet.

SATURDAY: The Giants are expected to promote Aramis Garcia to the major-league club, as Robert Murray of The Athletic was first to report. The move will likely come tomorrow, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.

News of Garcia’s first call-up to the big leagues coincides with the news that franchise icon Buster Posey is scheduled to undergo season-ending hip surgery on Monday. Though Posey is presumably available to pinch-hit in today’s game, the Giants are all but out of the playoff hunt and have accepted the fact that they need to turn an eye towards the ensuing seasons. That means making sure Posey has a shot at returning in time for Opening Day 2019, and as such there’s a void to fill behind the plate beside current backup Nick Hundley.

It wouldn’t be fair to expect Garcia to perform to Posey’s level, or even the watered-down version we’ve seen this year. After all, he’s not exactly lighting the world on fire at Triple-A so far this season. The former second-rounder has hit .237/.286/.263 in 41 plate appearances at that level so far, and even at Double-A this year he only managed a wRC+ of 88 to go along with a .682 OPS. On the other hand, he showed a bit more potential last season when he posted a 116 wRC+ with 17 homers across two levels of the minor leagues.

MLB Pipeline ranked Garcia as the Giants’ 15th-best prospect in their most recent update, citing his strength and the loft in his stroke as reasons to be optimistic about his power potential. There’s plenty of reason to be concerned about his floor, though; the publication believes he’s becoming too aggressive at the plate and will need to tighten up his strike zone in order to have a shot at success against major-league pitching. His defensive skills are merely average as well.

Despite the concerns about him, the Giants aren’t exactly white-knuckling it in regards to hopes that Garcia can become an everyday catcher. Rather, he’ll only need to develop into a serviceable backup in order to fill a future organizational need. Posey will likely return in time to play most if not all of 2019, and San Francisco has their catcher for the future in the form of this past draft’s number two overall pick, Joey Bart. Still, Garcia can win himself a major-league job as a part-time player if he makes good use of his 2018 audition.

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