The Giants have made another infield shuffle, reinstating Bryce Eldridge from the bereavement list and sending Buddy Kennedy off the roster by designating him for assignment.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those who reported the move.
Kennedy, 27, came into the season on a minor league deal with San Francisco, then got his first crack on the big league roster at the start of June. That stint didn’t last long. The Giants designated him for assignment a few weeks later, dealt him to the Mariners for cash, and then brought him back on a waiver claim at the start of August.
The decision fits the way San Francisco has had to patch together its infield all year. Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Marcelo Mayer and Casey Schmitt are all on the injured list right now, and the club has already turned to Nate Furman, Shay Whitcomb and Osleivis Basabe this season.
Those players all had options left, which made them easier to move around. Kennedy was the tougher call only because he is out of options - but his .116/.224/.140 line this year made him the one to go.
That has been the story of Kennedy’s career. He keeps getting chances because he can hit in the minors and he can move around the diamond, but the major league production just hasn’t followed. Across five seasons and 230 plate appearances in the majors, he owns a .165/.261/.245 line.
The Triple-A numbers are a different story entirely. Since the start of 2023, Kennedy has hit .292/.400/.457 in 1,528 plate appearances at that level. If that version of him ever showed up in the majors, he’d look like a useful utility piece, given his time at first, second and third base, plus brief looks at shortstop and left field.
Now he’ll head back to waivers in the coming days. Since the trade deadline has passed, another team could still take a shot on him. If he clears, he’ll have the option to elect free agency because he has been previously outrighted in his career.
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