SF Giants option Daulton Jefferies, recall hard-throwing reliever from Triple-A

The SF Giants made a roster move ahead of Thursday's game. Daulton Jefferies was optioned back to Triple-A, whereas Randy Rodríguez was recalled, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants option Daulton Jefferies, recall hard-throwing reliever from Triple-A

Rodríguez will make his debut when he does pitch for the Giants and it has been a long time coming. He was originally added to the 40-man after the 2021 season.

At the time, the right-handed hurler had not pitched above Low-A, so it was going to be a project. He recorded a 1.74 ERA with 101 strikeouts against 23 walks in 62 innings with th San Jose Giants in 2021. Interestingly, the Giants did try to stretch him out as a starter during the 2022 season, but he just did not have the strike-throwing ability to handle a starter's workload.

Perhaps, that slowed his development to some extent. Rodríguez worked through the upper minors in 2023, posting a 4.37 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 45 appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A. He continued to tally high strikeout totals, but high walk totals as well.

The 24-year-old returned to Sacramento to start the 2024 campaign and he was off to a solid start. He has a 1.69 ERA with 10 strikeouts against four walks in 10.2 frames. The below-average control will likely persist in the majors, but there is a case to be made that he can be effectively wild.

On the mound, Rodríguez flashes a high 90's fastball with late movement through the strike zone. He also has a slider that gets some downward movement and he throws an occasional changeup. Rodríguez has the arsenal to be a high-leverage arm, but some of that will depend on his control.

The Giants bullpen has struggled to a 5.51 ERA, which is the second-worst mark in basbeall. There is a lot of opportunity for someone like Rodríguez to carve out a role if he performs.

On the other hand, Daulton Jefferies was optioned after making a spot start against the Boston Red Sox. It was better than his game against the San Diego Padres earlier in the year, but he still yielded four earned runs in 2.2 innings against the Red Sox.

There may not be many more opportunities for Jefferies with both Mason Black and Carson Whisenhunt throwing well in Triple-A. That said, the Giants likely went with Jefferies given that it was a spot start rather than a longer-term rotation role.