San Francisco Giants: Who is recent call-up Donovan Solano?

Along with the much-anticipated addition of Mac Williamson to the MLB roster, the San Francisco Giants are also adding a veteran infielder.

The flurry of moves continues for the San Francisco Giants, as veteran utility infielder Donovan Solano will also be joining the MLB roster for the Colorado Rockies series.

That according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area:

Hearing the Giants also plan to call up infielder Donovan Solano. Not sure of corresponding moves, but they’ll need two 40-man spots. Bochy also said yesterday that bullpen needs help, and Williams Jerez is likely to get that spot. Busy day ahead.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) May 7, 2019

So who is Donovan Solano?

The 31-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Giants in January after spending last season in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.

He last played in the majors with the New York Yankees in 2016, when he went 5-for-22 with two doubles and one home run in nine games.

Prior to that, he served in a semi-regular utility infield role with the Miami Marlins, posting 1.3 WAR while hitting .264/.315/.336 for an 80 OPS+ in 1,051 plate appearances during a three-year span from 2012-14.

He has been splitting his time between second and third base for the Giants Triple-A affiliate so far this season, hitting .322/.392/.437 with four doubles, two home runs and 16 RBI in 97 plate appearances.

During his time in the majors, Solano has seen action at second base (1,951 innings), third base (153 innings), shortstop (107.1 innings) and in left field (63 innings), so he’ll bring some welcome versatility to the bench.

Fun fact: Solano also appeared on Team Colombia’s roster in the most recent World Baseball Classic.

While no corresponding roster move has been made, Solano is not a member of the 40-man roster, so someone will need to be designated for assignment.

Incumbent utility infielder Yangervis Solarte seems like the leading candidate. He’s hitting just .205/.247/.315 for a 53 OPS+ in 78 plate appearances after winning a spot this spring as a non-roster invitee.

With the offense floundering and the team sitting at 15-20 in last place in the NL West, a reshuffling of the roster seemed inevitable.

Solano may not move the needle much, but he’s capable of holding down a bench spot the rest of the way if his production at Triple-A was any indication of what’s to come.

Along with the much-anticipated addition of Mac Williamson to the MLB roster, the San Francisco Giants are also adding a veteran infielder.

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