Austin shipped out, Duggar summoned
DENVER — In the final inning of his three seasons as a Red, Scooter Gennett stood on the field in Cincinnati as a bona fide brawl with the Pirates that led to 40 games worth of suspensions raged around him.
“That was an amazing experience for not only the players but the fans at Great American,” Gennett said. “There was a lot going on there, but you’ve got to have your teammates’ backs.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Gennett learned he would have new teammates after the Reds traded him to the Giants. When he suited up at Coors Field on Friday, Gennett became the 49th man to wear the black and orange in 2019, hoping he could contribute with his bat and glove, not as a bouncer pulling guys off one another.
Gennett’s activation was one of four roster moves ahead of the series opener against the Rockies.
Tyler Austin was designated for assignment, which is not surprising. He could not hit righties and was not adept in the outfield, which made him too onedimensional for a team that often employs a fourman bench. He hit .185 with eight homers in 147 plate appearances.
Manager Bruce Bochy apologized to Austin for not getting him more playing time to hone his hitting, but said Austin “took ownership” of his fate with a lack of production.
The Giants, as expected, optioned pitcher Dereck Rodriguez to TripleA for the fourth time this year after his threeinning, sevenrun outing in Philadelphia on Thursday, and recalled outfielder Steven Duggar to stand in for Kevin Pillar.
Pillar hurt his hip and lower back when he banged into the fence in Philly trying to catch a J.T. Realmuto homer in Thursday’s 102 loss. Even without the injuries, Bochy knew that Pillar needed a break after starting every game since June 11. Pillar could return Saturday.
Joe Panik remains a Giant, but Bochy said, “Joe’s role is changed a bit” with Gennett expected to get most of the starts at second base.
“He’ll give us another lefthanded bat off the bench, maybe take some groundballs on the left side and first base to give us some versatility,” Bochy said.
Panik took grounders at third during batting practice Friday. He was a shortstop in college but has played second base in all but one game in the majors, a oneoff start at first base last September.
The moves will not end there. Bochy said he hopes third baseman Evan Longoria can be activated from the injured list and play Sunday. The Giants could clear his roster spot by optioning infielder Zach Green. Gennett’s bat: Gennett hit .217 with little power in 69 atbats with the Reds after missing most of the first three months of the season with a groin injury. He said most of July felt like spring training at the plate, but with every game he has felt “a little more right.”
The lefty has done OK at Oracle Park, owning a .268 average and .823 OPS in 59 plate appearances, and said the park does not spook him (although he did ask if the bullpen mounds were still on the field).
“There’s a lot of grass out there,” Gennett said. “I’ve never tried to hit home runs. I’ve always enjoyed hitting there.” Duggar’s return: The Giants sent Duggar to TripleA hoping he could regain a feel for the strike zone. He was swinging at too many bad pitches and letting the good ones go by.
His .337 batting average and 1.003 OPS in 83 atbats at Sacramento suggest he got the message.
“Count leverage is huge,” Duggar said. “Really my sole purpose is to have quality atbats, getting mistakes and putting the ball in play. That’s what I was working on.”
Duggar got to witness a rarity: Mauricio Dubon playing for San Antonio on Tuesday night then switching uniforms to face the Missions on Wednesday after the Giants acquired the infielder from Milwaukee in the Drew Pomeranz deal.
“I’d never been part of something like that,” Duggar said. “It was kind of neat. His first atbat for us he got hit in the back of the hand on a check swing and I thought, ‘Great. He just got traded to us.’ But he was all right.” Briefly: The Giants released outfielder Henry Ramos from his TripleA contract. He is the older brother of highlevel prospect Heliot Ramos .…The Giants promoted hardthrowing righthander Melvin Adon to Sacramento after he struck out 59 in 45 innings for DoubleA Richmond, Va.. … Lefthander Conner Menez, who helped the Giants win in his majorleague debut July 21, is in line to start Tuesday’s home game against the Nationals in place of Rodriguez. Menez also pitched Thursday for Sacramento.