SF Giants Promote Rickard, Demote Anderson, DFA Rodriguez

The SF Giants made a slew of roster moves Wednesday morning. They promoted Joey Rickard, demoted Shaun Anderson, and DFA’d Dereck Rodriguez.

As the Giants gear up for an important stretch of play to break to stay in playoff contention, the team made a number of roster moves.

SF Giants Promote Joey Rickard

The Giants acquired Rickard through waivers last season from the Baltimore Orioles. While he hasn’t had the same success as one other former Oriole outfielder, he has the ability to contribute defensively and on the base paths.

Rickard, 29, was a ninth-round pick out of the University of Arizona by the Tampa Bay Rays back in the 2012 draft. His ceiling at the time looked like a solid fourth outfielder and his development backed that up. He never hit for much power with a career .417 slugging percentage in the minors but took advantage of an advanced approach and his good speed to get on base at a .390 clip during his time in the minors.

Last season with the Giants, Rickard appeared in 26 games and hit .280/.333/.380. He served primarily as a pinch-runner and defensive substitute in left and right field. However, he is capable of handling centerfield in a pinch. He also impressed at Triple-A Sacramento as well.

Over four big-league seasons, Rickard has accumulated 978 plate appearances, bashed 20 home runs, stole 20 bases, and slashed .247/.301/.373.

SF Giants Demote Shaun Anderson

Anderson seemed like a potential high-leverage righthanded reliever for the Giants at the beginning of the season. However, on the field, Anderson’s results haven’t lived up to the hype.

While he still flashes his mid-90s fastball and nasty slider, his inability to control both pitches ultimately undermined his effectiveness. It also managed to get him in hot water against the Los Angeles Angels when two pitches went towards Mike Trout’s head. Perhaps Anderson could have benefited from better rest management, but he’s had plenty of opportunities.

In 13 appearances this year, the 25-year old has completed 10.1 innings and struck out 11 batters. However, he’s surrendered 11 walks and three home runs that have left him with an unimpressive 5.23 ERA and an abysmal 7.99 FIP.

Last season, Anderson made his big-league debut, splitting time between the starting rotation and bullpen. While he was more effective out of the pen, his overall ERA on the year was 5.44. Ultimately, he’ll need to improve his control or command to take the next step.

He’ll be with the team’s alternate site in Sacramento, serving as pitching depth until he gets another callup.

SF Giants designate Dereck Rodriguez for assignment

The move doesn’t come as much of a shock since the team had to clear a 40-man roster spot for Rickard. The Giants optioned Rodriguez to the alternate site a week ago and he’s been buried on the depth chart for some time.

On the season, Rodriguez has appeared in 2 games, completed 4 innings, allowed 10 hits, 6 earned runs, walked 3 batters, and managed just 2 strikeouts. It’s now been more than a year since his sensational rookie season in 2018. Over 221.1 career innings, his ERA is now 4.27 with a FIP of 4.74.

Rodriguez will go through waivers and could be an intriguing claim for a team desperate for pitching. However, as impressive as his 2018 season was, his career peripherals aren’t very impressive and he could very well go unclaimed and remain with the Giants in Sacramento.