SF Giants activate hard-throwing reliever from injured list, place Mauricio Llovera on waivers

The SF Giants bolstered the bullpen on Saturday, activating Luke Jackson (back strain) from the injured list. Mauricio Llovera was designated for assignment in a corresponding roster move according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants activate hard-throwing reliever from injured list, place Mauricio Llovera on waivers

The Llovera move clears a spot on the active roster as well as the 40-man roster. The 40-man roster now stands at 39. The front office has rarely left 40-man roster spots open for long, so they could either scour the waiver wire or use it on Luis González, who has begun a rehab assignment.

González began a rehab assignment with the ACL Giants Orange on July 17, so the clock is ticking. Position players can spend a maximum of 20 days on a rehab assignment before a decision needs to be made one way or the other.

Llovera did draw the short end of the stick. The Giants added him back to the 40-man roster earlier this month and he did a nice job. The veteran minor leaguer yielded just one earned runs against five strikeouts and two walks across 5.1 frames with San Francisco.

Prior to his call up, he was in the midst of a nice season with Sacramento where he tallied a 3.92 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, and a 4.00 SO/W ratio in 17 outings. Those numbers are especially impressive in the context of the Pacific Coast League, which is an extreme hitter-friendly league.

The Giants will have up to 10 days to work out a trade for the righty. On the other hand, Luke Jackson returns after dealing with a back ailment that sent him to the injured list at the end of June. The 31-year-old began a rehab assignment last week where he recorded five strikeouts across two innings with the ACL Giants Orange.

Jackson returned from Tommy John surgery earlier this year and immediately established himself as a key reliever during his brief time with the Giants. He has posted a 2.16 ERA, 1.60 FIP, 0.96 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, and a 5.00 SO/W ratio in nine appearances.

He flashes a mid-90's four-seam fastball with a slider that has proven to be tough on opposing hitters. Jackson is a high-strikeout pitcher and that is a skill set that typically finds its way into high-leverage situations.