The SF Giants designated slugger Yermín Mercedes for assignment on Friday and outrighted him to their Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. The move created an open spot on the 40-man roster that the Giants used to promote outfielder Austin Dean.
The Giants claimed Mercedes off waivers in June, acquiring him from the Chicago White Sox, and immediately added him to their big-league roster. Mercedes got off to a good start but stalled at the plate as time went on. In 83 plate appearances, he hit .233/.325/.342 with five doubles and one home run.
More importantly, Mercedes was a complete liability defensively. While he was developed as a catcher, Mercedes is far from a viable option behind the plate at the big-league level. Giants manager Gabe Kapler experimented with Mercedes at first base and in the outfield, but he made several costly mistakes.
Mercedes put up better numbers at Triple-A, posting an .802 OPS in the extremely hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but with several other players on the River Cats-including Dean-putting up comparable offensive numbers with far more defensive value, it seemed hard to envision Mercedes sticking on the 40-man roster.
Still, Yermín Mercedes will stay in the SF Giants organization for now after clearing waivers and being outrighted to Triple-A. He will likely finish the season out with the Sacramento River Cats and could be an upper minors depth option if he's still with the franchise next season.
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