SF Giants: The Tyler Chatwood era likely over

The SF Giants activated Anthony DeSclafani from the injured list on Sunday morning as Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group reports, but it came at the expense of Tyler Chatwood’s roster spot. The right-handed hurler was placed on waivers, likely ending his brief tenure in the Orange and Black.

SF Giants: The Tyler Chatwood era likely over

I say likely because Chatwood will possibly go unclaimed on waivers. At that point, he will have a choice to accept a minor league assignment or elect free agency. Given his veteran status, he will likely choose the latter.

It was a short stay for Chatwood, who was reeled in on a minor-league pact earlier this month after being released by the Toronto Blue Jays. The 31-year-old was assigned to Triple-A, where he completed 5.2 scoreless frames with the Sacramento River Cats.

Given how he performed and his track record, it seemed that the Giants would eventually promote him. It did not take long as he was added to the 40-man roster in the last week of August.

In his first appearance, Chatwood allowed three earned runs on five hits in two innings against the New York Mets. He followed that up with a scoreless, two-inning appearance, but his command was shaky. In total, he finished with a 6.75 ERA across four innings with six strikeouts.

The 10-year veteran had not been a strikeout pitcher earlier in his career, but it is a quality that has developed over time. On top of this, he has induced ground balls at a healthy rate of 53.9 percent of his batted ball events, so Chatwood does excel in a couple of key areas when he is on the mound.

That said, this comes with subpar command and that was apparent in his brief audition with the Giants. The veteran right-hander should continue to see opportunities as a depth option in the hopes that his command can improve.

For now, he will have to sit in DFA limbo until a resolution is reached. He may remain with the organization, but more than likely, his tenure with the Giants is over.