Giants quietly snag former infield prospect off waivers from Astros originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Francisco Giants are out of the postseason race.
But the organization continues to add players for future seasons, hoping to find a few diamonds in the rough.
One way the NL West club can do that is by keeping an eye on the waiver wire. The Giants made a move on Thursday to add a former top infield prospect to the roster.
San Francisco announced that they've claimed third baseman Shay Whitcomb off waivers from the Houston Astros.
To open a 40-man roster spot for Whitcomb, right-hander Trevor McDonald was transferred to the 60-day IL.
Whitcomb, 27, has spent parts of three seasons in the Majors with the Astros, hitting .167/.216/.292 with three home runs and a .507 OPS in 57 games.
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His offensive minor league track record is much better, and the Giants can afford to take the chance on the right-handed hitter.
"Whitcomb can still be optioned for the rest of this season and will still have one option remaining for the future. Even if his bat doesn’t bounce back, he could be a useful speed-and-defense utility/bench guy," Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors wrote. "If some of his 2024-25 offense comes back, that’s even better."
The Giants recently lost Matt Chapman for the year due to the third baseman's hernia surgery. Whitcomb could take some of his playing time.
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