A pair of former SF Giants players return to familiar territory after being claimed

The SF Giants gained clarity on Saturday regarding a pair of players who were on waivers. Both players were scooped up after being designated for assignment earlier this week.

A pair of former SF Giants players return to familiar territory after being claimed

Infielder Kevin Padlo was claimed by the Seattle Mariners, whereas the Cincinnati Reds added outfielder Stuart Fairchild. In an odd twist, Padlo returns to the team that placed him on waivers before joining the Giants and Fairchild returns to the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2017 draft.

The Giants aggressively scoured the waiver wire earlier in the year as the team was dealing with a handful of injuries as well as a COVID breakout. This created an opportunity for the front office to bring a few new faces into the organization while the team's depth took a hit.

Padlo was designated for assignment a couple of days ago when the Giants traded for catcher Austin Wynns and added him to the 40-man roster. Padlo had two, separate stints with the Giants where he recorded two hits in 12 at-bats.

The 25-year-old infielder was acquired at the end of April in exchange for cash and he made a little noise with the Sacramento River Cats as he blasted three homers with six RBI in just his fourth game with the organization.

Despite his struggles with the Giants, the righty performed better in Triple-A, slashing .275/.333/.600 (123 wRC+) with seven home runs, 16 RBI, and 16 runs in 87 plate appearances. He appeared primarily at third base with San Francisco, but he spent time at first base, second base, third base, and left field with Sacramento.

On the other hand, Fairchild was acquired by the Giants last month from the Mariners in exchange for infielder Alex Blandino and cash. If it feels like every move the Giants make is with the Mariners, you are not alone.

Fairchild tallied three hits in 16 at-bats with the River Cats and registered eight hitless at-bats with the Giants before being placed on waivers.

The outfielder was with the Reds organization until 2020 as he was packaged in a midseason trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks that sent reliever Archie Bradley to Cincinnati. He returns to familiar territory with Cincinnati and likely has a better shot at playing time given that the Reds have a 20-38 record on the year.