The Giants are planning to bring southpaw Scott Kazmir back to start Wednesday night’s game against the Padres, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Kazmir is not on the 40-man roster, but San Francisco opened a spot by passing reliever Reyes Moronta through outright waivers Tuesday afternoon.
Kazmir returns for his second big-league stint this season. The veteran signed a minor-league deal with San Francisco over the offseason and completed a remarkable comeback effort by earning a big-league callup in late May. In his first big-league action in five years this spring, Kazmir made just three appearances (including two starts) before being designated for assignment. He worked seven innings over those three games, allowing five runs on eight hits (including three homers) and a walk while striking out seven.
After being outrighted off the 40-man roster, Kazmir joined the U.S. National Team at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. He made just one start there, tossing five scoreless innings in a win over the Dominican Republic. He returned to the Giants’ top affiliate in Sacramento after the conclusion of international competition and has made six starts for the River Cats over the past month. He’s worked 52 2/3 frames in Triple-A this season altogether, posting a 4.61 ERA with strikeout and walk rates (22.1% and 8.3%, respectively) not far off the league average.
Johnny Cueto remains on the injured list, leaving the Giants a man short in the rotation behind Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Logan Webb and Alex Wood. Kazmir will get another opportunity to step into that role. San Francisco entered play Tuesday night up one game on the Dodgers in the NL West. The Giants will close out the week with road series against the Padres and Rockies before returning home to host the D-backs and Padres to end the regular season.
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