SF Giants lose speedy outfielder to the New York Mets in waiver claim

The SF Giants placed speedy outfielder Jared Oliva on waivers over the weekend. On Wednesday, they got a resolution on his status, as he was claimed by the New York Mets, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Oliva joined the Giants on a minor league deal in the offseason. This included a camp invite. His chances of making the roster were low, but he strung together a strong performance in the Cactus League.

This included stealing 14 bases, proving that he could bring some value off the bench. The Giants envisioned his role as including pinch running and serving as a defensive replacement. That did not get to play out as they had hoped.

Oliva suffered a hamate fracture after just a handful of games. The Giants also got off to a rough start, so they did not get a chance to leverage his skill set in the way they had hoped.

The 30-year-old outfielder began a rehab assignment at the end of May. Rehab assignmnets for position players can last up to 20 days. The Giants reached that threshold and had to make a decision. This led to him being placed on waivers.

Speedy outfielder was supplanted by Jonah Cox on the SF Giants depth chart

While Oliva was out, the Giants promoted another speedy outfielder in Jonah Cox from Double-A. In a lot of ways, Cox offers some of the same traits as Oliva but with more offensive upside.

Cox was on a tear at the plate when they called him up, and given that he was added to the 40-man roster, it is fair to say that he supplanted Oliva on the depth chart.

That said, the Giants have struggled to find at-bats for Cox since his promotion. That speed-and-defense role is a tough one for a young player to fill, so it might be better to have a veteran like Oliva on the roster instead.

Nevertheless, it is tough for teams to carry that type of redundant skill set on the 40-man roster, so they had to make a move. Oliva joins a Mets team that has been as disappointing as the Giants have been this season. Following the move, he was optioned to Triple-A.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow