The SF Giants outrighted infielder Johan Camargo to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday. Camargo was designated for assignment when the team added veteran shortstop Paul DeJong earlier this week and cleared waivers. While Camargo has the necessary service time to refuse the assignment, he would forego a pro-rated big-league salary by declaring himself a free agent.
The Giants signed Camargo to a minor-league deal earlier this month and called him up less than a week later. He went 4-for-18 with a walk and four strikeouts during his MLB stint with San Francisco. The 29-year-old has hit .260/.339/.466 in 39 Triple-A games this season between three organizations.
Camargo was once a promising young infielder in Atlanta who seemed set to become a core part of their infield. After a successful rookie season in 2017, he had a career year in 2018. As Atlanta's primary option at the hot corner, Camargo hit .272/.349/.457 with 27 doubles and 19 home runs in 524 plate appearances. A switch-hitter, particularly effective against left-handed pitching, his offensive prowess and defensive versatility seemed to put him in a prime position to be at least an impactful bench player.
However, in the years that followed, he has not managed a slugging percentage in the majors above .384 and slowly lost his footing in Atlanta. After appearing in just 50 big-league games between 2020 and 2021, Camargo was designated for assignment and eventually landed a minor-league deal with the Phillies. In 2022, his lone season in Philadelphia, he appeared in 52 games as a superutility player but hit just .237/.297/.316 in 166 plate appearances before he was designated for assignment.
It's been some time since Johan Camargo was an average or better MLB hitter, but the versatile defensive infielder could still help a big-league team. Despite his recent struggles, his career triple-slash against left-handed pitching in the majors is .266/.320/.462 with 26 doubles and 15 home runs in 414 plate appearances.
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