Rickard gets the call to replace injured Duggar
SAN FRANCISCO » The Giants have a pair of powerhitting outfielders excelling at Triple-A, but with Steven Duggar headed to the injured list, neither Chris Shaw nor Jaylin Davis is slated to join the Giants.
The club instead promoted outfielder Joey Rickard, 28, from Triple-A on Thursday after Duggar sprained the AC joint in his left shoulder while diving to make a catch in Wednesday’s loss to the Washington Nationals.
With Duggar and starter Shaun Anderson ( blister) headed to the injured list, Rickard and reliever Sam Selman have been activated to the Giants’ 25-man roster ahead of Thursday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Giants do not have a firm timeline for Duggar’s return, but it’s possible he could be out for longer than a month and potentially through the end of the season.
“He’s going to be down for a little while,” manager Bruce Bochy said.
Duggar tore the labrum in his shoulder diving into second base last August
and required season- ending surgery. Bochy said the injury Duggar sustained Wednesday is not related to his labrum and the Giants have not discussed surgery as an option to heal the AC joint sprain.
Anderson was removed from Wednesday’s start against the Nationals after giving up four runs in three innings. Bochy explained that Anderson was dealing with a blister issue on his middle finger and despite the pitcher’s desire to remain in the game, the training staff advised Anderson to stop pitching.
Bochy said he’s optimistic Anderson will miss the minimum 10 days before returning to the Giants’ roster
ickard was designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles on June 17 and claimed by the Giants on waivers. Since joining the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, the right-handed hitting Rickard has posted a .358 average with a .922 OPS.
“Anytime you’re playing real meaningful baseball, it’s always different,” Rickard said of joining the Giants.
Rickard debuted with the Orioles in 2016 and has hit .245 with a .671 OPS in 317 career major league games. A ninth-round pick out of the University of Arizona in 2012 by the Tampa Bay Rays, Rickard played 42 games in the majors this season before the Orioles designated him for assignment.
“He’s done a great job on both sides, he plays all three outfield positions, he’s a right-handed bat who will be out there against lefties and occasionally against righties,” Bochy said.
The decision to promote Rickard over Shaw and Davis came as a mild surprise as the Giants have struggled to hit for power over the last three weeks. With outfielder Alex Dickerson expected to remain on the injured list through at least Sunday and possibly longer, Shaw and Davis figured to be in consideration for promotions.
Bochy said the Giants discussed a handful of player to promote, but chose Rickard because he can play all three outfield positions and they wanted a right-handed bat now that the team’s left-handed hitting backup catcher, Stephen Vogt, will be playing left field more often.
Davis isn’t yet a member of the Giants’ 40-man roster, but he is 10-for-17 with four walks and five extrabase hits since he joined Triple-A Sacramento last week. Davis was one of three prospects acquired by the Giants in the July 31 trade that sent reliever Sam Dyson to the Minnesota Twins.
Shaw is hitting .304 with a .958 OPS in 53 games at Triple-A since earning a promotion from Double-A Richmond. Shaw made his major league debut last season with the Giants, but began the year at Double-A to work on cutting down his high strikeout totals.