SF Giants outright middle infielder to Sacramento

Last weekend, the SF Giants designated middle infielder Dixon Machado for assignment after longtime shortstop Brandon Crawford was reinstated from the injured list. Machado's time on the waiver wire came to a close as it was announced that he was outrighted to Sacramento.

SF Giants outright middle infielder to Sacramento

The Giants acquired Machado at the end of July as a stopgap with both Crawford and Thairo Estrada on the injured list. The Giants had no other shortstops on the 40-man roster and no minor leaguer that they felt comfortable using from Triple-A.

Middle infielder Will Wilson could have been a candidate but he had been on the injured list at the time. So, the Giants worked a trade with the Chicago Cubs while they were in the midst of a four-game series against them. Trades like that do not happen often. San Francisco shipped 30-year-old pitcher Raynel Espinal to Chicago in exchange for Machado.

Machado was asked to hold down the fort at shortstop and he did a nice job. The veteran infielder did not commit an error in 17 chances across five games in a Giants uniform. As a team, the Giants' defense has been abysmal in 2022, but Machado's brief tenure with San Francisco was noticeably smooth.

At the plate, the 30-year-old recorded three hits in 15 at-bats with one run scored. He has typically been a below-average hitter as he has slashed .226/.285/.292 (57 OPS+) with a 6.7 percent walk rate against an 18.4 percent strikeout rate in five major league seasons. The Giants did not acquire him for his bat.

He went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted off of the 40-man roster to Sacramento. The Giants recently added a little extra middle infield depth in Drew Jackson in case an emergency arises again. Machado will join Jackson, Ford Proctor, Arquímedes Gamboa, and Isan Díaz as the primary shortstop options for the Sacramento River Cats.

Machado was asked to fill a niche role in a pinch on the 2022 Giants roster and he did just that. Hopefully, his brief appearance with the Giants helps him land a major league gig down the road.