SF Giants DFA infielder to make room for new acquisition

The SF Giants were busy on Wednesday morning, optioning Joey Bart and swinging a trade for catcher Austin Wynns from the Philadelphia Phillies. Wynns was immediately added to the 40-man roster, meaning that the Giants needed to make a corresponding roster move.

SF Giants DFA infielder to make room for new acquisition

Kevin Padlo was designated for assignment to make room. This is not Padlo's first turn on the waiver wire in 2022. San Francisco acquired the 25-year-old infielder from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash while he was on waivers.

He immediately made an impact with the Giants organization. In just his fourth game with the Sacramento River Cats following the trade, Padlo blasted three home runs with six RBI. This caught the attention of the front office as he was promoted to the major league roster shortly thereafter.

However, he struggled in his brief showing with the Orange and Black. Padlo recorded just two hits and four strikeouts in 12 at-bats. He performed much better with the River Cats, slashing .275/.333/.600 (124 wRC+) with seven homers, 16 RBI, and 16 runs in 87 plate appearances.

Despite his struggles on offense with the Giants, Padlo did flash a good arm at the hot corner. He was limited to just first base and third base with San Francisco, but he appeared at second base and left field as well with Sacramento.

Placing Padlo on waivers clears the path for Wynns. The veteran backstop was selected in the same draft class as Mike Yastrzemski by the Baltimore Orioles. Wynns was drafted in the 10th round, whereas Yastrzemski was plucked in the 14th round.

Across three seasons with Baltimore, Wynns registered a .216/.255/.326 line (55 wRC+) with nine homers and 30 RBI in an Orioles uniform. That said, the 31-year-old catcher has excelled at the plate so far in 2022.

In 134 Triple-A plate appearances, he has posted a 1.004 OPS with three home runs and 20 RBI with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. This includes a 20.9 percent walk rate against a 13.4 percent strikeout rate.

Wynns may not produce a lot with the bat, but he is regarded as a decent receiver behind the plate. Plus, he has a 32 percent caught-stealing rate in the majors, which has become a problem area among Giants catchers.

With Joey Bart in Triple-A, Curt Casali and Wynns will get an extended look at catcher. Of course, Casali will likely see the majority of starts given how well he has performed so far in 2022. For now, Wynns will try to carve out a role for this Giants team.