SAN FRANCISCO -- It was a bit of a surprise when the Giants placed Thairo Estrada on waivers earlier this week. But Friday's move might have been even more jarring.
Estrada cleared waivers, but instead of releasing him as they did with left-hander Tyler Matzek, the Giants outrighted the second baseman to Triple-A Sacramento. A potential building block a year ago, Estrada will now spend the next month in Triple-A with seemingly little chance of making it back before the end of the year. He was taken off the 40-man roster and the Giants plan to look at younger options in the big leagues.
"Look, he had a tough road this year with his hand and wrist (injuries) and didn't perform the way he has in the past," manager Bob Melvin said before Friday's game. "I think it's more now about trying to get some (other) guys some opportunities and the fact that maybe the performance wasn't there. I mean, it's tough not to love Thairo. He's a great guy and plays hard every day, he never makes excuses, he's been a great Giant. Unfortunately this is the decision that we've made."
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Estrada was hitting just .217 in his fourth year with San Francisco. Among players with at least 300 plate appearances, his on-base percentage (.247) ranked fourth-lowest and his OPS (.590) was fifth-lowest. Clearing him off the active roster made plenty of sense, but some within the clubhouse were baffled about why the Giants didn't just release him and give him the chance to potentially play elsewhere in September.
The organization clearly already has made a decision on Estrada's long-term future. He is arbitration-eligible this offseason and there was little doubt even before Friday's move that Estrada was going to be non-tendered. He likely has played his last game in orange and black, although he will play for the organization's Triple-A affiliate for the next month.
In the meantime, Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely will split time at second base. San Francisco also could call up Marco Luciano when rosters expand on Sunday, although Melvin said those discussions haven't been had yet.
"Right now it's the guys that we have here right now," he said. "We'll see what it looks like when we can add one more player in September."
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Schmitt was in the lineup Friday after getting just two at-bats over the previous 12 days. The Giants are hopeful that one of the young second basemen can emerge over the final month of the season. It's a position they never expected to be in after the way Estrada played the previous three seasons.
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