The Giants have claimed former White Sox thumper Yermín Mercedes off waivers.
Mercedes, who was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, has shown flashes of potential at the major league level and could give San Francisco a lift against left-handed pitchers.
In a corresponding move, the Giants designated catcher Michael Papierski for assignment. SF acquired Papierski earlier this year for Mauricio Dubón.
Taking a flier on Mercedes, 29, seems to be a low-risk, high-reward swing. After spending eight seasons in the minors, Mercedes broke out for Chicago. Mercedes was the American League Rookie of the Month last April when he hit .415/.455/.659 with five doubles and five home runs in 22 games. Mainly as a designated hitter, Mercedes did much of his damage off left-handed pitchers.
But his production slid after that scorching-hot month. In mid-May, he got in a public fight with his manager, Tony La Russa, when he hit a home run on a 3-0 pitch off position player Williams Astudillo. That flare might fit better in San Francisco’s noted unwritten rules-agnostic clubhouse.
After his controversial home run off Astudillo, Mercedes clubbed just one more homer the rest of the season. At one point after getting demoted to Triple-A amid his slump, Mercedes announced on Instagram that he was retiring — then curiously didn’t miss any games.
In total, he finished with a .271 batting average and .732 OPS in 2021 — his first MLB season.