The Giants are sending starter Anthony DeSclafani and outfielder Steven Duggar to the injured list and bringing up outfielder Luis González and reliever Jakob Junis in their places.
DeSclafani is set to undergo an MRI on Monday for right ankle soreness according to the Mercury News’ Evan Webeck. The normally reliable righty has posted a 6.08 ERA in three starts and most recently scuffled in New York, allowing five earned runs in five innings in a loss to the Mets. His fastball velocity dipped to about 90-91 mph in that start.
Duggar, meanwhile, left the series finale with the Mets in the second inning after experiencing pain in his side. Hitting the 60-day injured list, Duggar won’t be available for the foreseeable future.
Putting Duggar on the 60-day IL clears a spot on the 40-man roster for González, who has hit three home runs in 11 games to start the Triple-A season. Junis, whom the Giants signed to a one-year, $1.75 million deal this winter, was already on the 40-man roster.
The roster moves have not yet been made official by the club, but multiple reporters with the team in Washington D.C. reported the news.
González isn’t in the lineup against left-handed starter Patrick Corbin Friday, but could make his Giants debut later this series. He’s played nine big-league games in his career prior, going 2-for-9 with three walks with the Chicago White Sox in 2020 and 2021.
With the River Cats in 2022, González is slashing .283/.389/.500. That hot start came after a scorching spring in which the former third-round pick hit .476 with a 1.234 OPS in nine exhibition games.
The Giants somewhat telegraphed this roster move when president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said Thursday on KNBR that the club would like to replace Duggar’s lefty bat with another. That took Heliot Ramos, who debuted earlier this season, out of the equation.
“A lot of the things we talked about with Ramos, it was great seeing him up earlier,” Zaidi said Thursday. “But not sure we want to bring him up to be in sort of a part-time role. I think the next time he comes up, we want him to be in a situation where he can get everyday at-bats.”
Junis, who spent his first nine professional seasons in Kansas City, offers a four-pitch arsenal — his slider is his most effective pitch — and could be used in a multi-inning stint. With Sam Long getting his first start of the season Friday in a bullpen game, additional pitching depth to finish this road trip is imperative.
- Alex Cobb is officially listed as out with a right abductor strain, but he was already seen by reporters on-scene throwing in the outfield. That portends well for the possibility for him to return when he’s eligible, on April 29.
- LaMonte Wade Jr. is set to begin his rehab assignment Friday with the River Cats. His return from knee soreness should help fill the void lefties Duggar and Tommy La Stella leave. The latter is still ramping up from discomfort following Achilles surgery, but is continuing baseball activity.