Giants Claim Brett Harris

The Giants claimed infielder Brett Harris off waivers from the Red Sox, per a team announcement. He’s been optioned to Triple-A. Harris was designated for assignment on Tuesday to clear a spot for right-hander Jedixson Paez. San Francisco also moved righty Keaton Winn to the 60-day IL.

While the moves were announced at the same time, the Giants didn’t need to clear a spot for Harris. The club has a couple of 40-man roster openings. Winn’s placement on the 60-day IL makes it a whopping 14 guys on the list for San Francisco.

The Red Sox acquired Harris in a minor trade with the A’s in July. He’d recently been DFAed by the Athletics. Harris appeared in just one game with Boston shortly after the trade. He started at first base and went 0-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch. He’s spent the majority of the year at Triple-A. Harris has compiled a strong 119 wRC+ across 71 minor league games between the two organizations.

Harris has a .593 OPS in 74 games as a big leaguer. He’d spent his entire pro career with the A’s until this season. The 28-year-old has played every infield position except shortstop during his time in the majors. Harris has played a handful of games at short in the minors.

The main draw for Harris is defensive versatility. He could chip in around the diamond for a San Francisco squad missing Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Casey Schmitt, and Marcelo Mayer. The club may prefer to give younger options like Nate Furman and Osleivis Basabe additional reps to close the year, unless more injuries force them to bring up Harris.

Winn went down with right elbow neuritis near the end of August. It was his second elbow injury of the season, after he dealt with a strain back in June. Winn was having a solid season at the back-end of San Francisco’s bullpen when he was available. The righty posted a 3.35 ERA across 44 appearances. He leads the team with 14 holds.