SF Giants add veteran middle infielder to organization

Something strange happened on Saturday night. When the Sacramento River Cats published their lineup prior to the game, veteran infielder Johan Camargo was in it. The SF Giants apparently added the six-year veteran prior to that game.

SF Giants add veteran middle infielder to organization

The transaction log does not indicate what type of deal it was, but presumably, it was a minor league pact. It has been an eventful season for Camargo as he began the year with the Kansas City Royals organization before being released. He caught on with the Detroit Tigers organization shortly thereafter but was released earlier this month.

The Giants have been looking at ways to bolster the middle infield, which has struggled over the past couple of months. That said, second base has been solidified with the return of Thairo Estrada. Shortstop remains a problem area.

Brandon Crawford is back after battling a nagging knee injury, but he has struggled to the tune of a .611 OPS with just six home runs in 256 plate appearances in 2023. The Giants are in the midst of a playoff race and are still looking at ways to tweak the roster.

Now, Camargo may not even be an improvement, but he does have experience at a position where the Giants are looking to upgrade. Despite the fact that he has been released twice this season, that could have been at his request.

The 29-year-old saw some success earlier in his career, slashing .281/.343/.455 (111 OPS+) with an 8.1 percent walk rate and a 20.4 percent strikeout rate in his first two seasons with the Atlanta Braves. However, he has been unable to replicate that production as he has registered a .219/.271/.348 line (63 OPS+) since the start of 2019.

The Braves decided to cut ties with Camargo after the 2021 season, but he caught on with the Philadelphia Phillies last season. Camargo posted a .613 OPS in his lone season with the Phillies and has bounced around since then.

While his bat has gone cold, the utility infielder has experience and is generally a competent glove all around the infield. He appeared at shortstop with Sacramento on Saturday and collected two hits in five at-bats in his River Cats debut.