It was only a matter of time.
That was the sentiment expressed among Giants’ fans when the franchise signed 30-year-old infielder Pablo Sandoval to a Minor League contract on July 22.
Eight days after Sandoval was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox, a team that essentially gave Sandoval $50 million to leave town, the player Giants’ fans affectionately called, “Panda” signed with his old club.
Though the Giants did not agree to a contract that guaranteed Sandoval the opportunity to play at the Major League level, most fans felt there was an understanding that if Sandoval performed at AAA, the time would come where his redemption tour at AT&T Park would begin.
Yet here we are, on August 5, and the Giants just called up a struggling third baseman hitting .207 in 29 at-bats with AAA Sacramento.
Was it inevitable that Sandoval would receive a chance? It was entirely possible, and because Sandoval would have the chance to feast on Pacific Coast League pitching, his return to the Giants was probable. But it shouldn’t have happened like this.
After recording just two hits in nine at-bats with A San Jose and six hits in 29 at-bats for the Sacramento River Cats, Sandoval finds himself on the Giants’ 25-man roster, replacing first baseman Brandon Belt, who was placed on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion on Saturday morning.
In a season in which nothing has fallen into place for the Giants as they expected, everything fell into place for Sandoval to make a speedy venture through the Minor Leagues and rejoin many of his old teammates in the orange and black.
For Sandoval to don a Giants’ uniform again this soon, a number of different events had to take place.
First and foremost, the Giants had to trade starting third baseman Eduardo Nunez. Four days after Sandoval inked his deal, they took care of business, shipping Nunez off to Sandoval’s old club and giving the Red Sox a super utility infielder capable of hitting .300 for the rest of the season.
With Nunez out of the way, the first, and most important domino at third base fell.
But even with Nunez departing, calling up Sandoval still wasn’t a sure bet.
The Giants were prepared to give another 30-year-old infielder, Jae-gyun Hwang, a chance to win the everyday job at third base. Hwang was one of the most impressive performers in Spring Training for the Giants this year, and the former Korean Baseball Organization star was granted the opportunity to take over the role that Nunez was forced to give up.
After starting his career 4-for-11 in a Giants’ uniform though, Hwang recorded just four hits in his next 40 Major League at-bats. On August 2, Hwang was optioned back to AAA Sacramento.
Though Hwang was not especially strong against right-handed pitching, Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy contemplated the idea of platooning Hwang with the left-handed hitting Conor Gillaspie.
While Gillaspie hit two clutch pinch hit home runs for San Francisco in late July, his batting average dipped to .163. On the same night Hwang was optioned, the former first round draft choice of San Francisco was designated for assignment. It was not an easy move for Bochy to make.
Still, though, on August 2, the Giants were unprepared to give Sandoval a chance. Even though he had hit his first home run with AAA Sacramento on August 2, his numbers indicated he needed more time to feel comfortable at the plate. So San Francisco called up Ryder Jones.
The 23-year-old prospect made his MLB debut in late June, but went just 1-for-21 at the plate, and 0-for-17 to start his career, before taking a pitch off the hand in an early July series in Pittsburgh that landed Jones on the disabled list. While Jones wasn’t ready for his opportunity the first time around, after returning to AAA Sacramento, he proceeded to shred AAA pitching, and earned himself another opportunity.
On August 3, Jones was the starting third baseman for San Francisco against the Oakland A’s, and all he did was rip a pair of line drive singles that suggested that maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to fend off Sandoval.
But on Friday evening, in Jones’ second game back, disaster struck in the bottom of the fifth inning. That’s when Giants’ first baseman Brandon Belt took a curveball off the helmet from Arizona starter Anthony Banda, which forced Belt to exit the game.
For any player, a pitch to the head is a scary thought. For a player like Belt who’s dealt with concussions before, it’s terrifying.
With Belt out of the lineup, the Giants inserted Joe Panik into the game, moved Jones from third base to first base, and shifted Kelby Tomlinson from second base to third base. That defensive alignment was only temporary. By late Friday evening, a move was coming. The only question was whether the Giants would call up Sandoval, or opt for the team’s top prospect, first baseman Chris Shaw.
Even though Sandoval’s numbers are hardly desirable, the Giants made the call, and the reality is, with a 42-69 record, it’s hard to blame them. There’s no sense in rushing Shaw to the Major League level if he’s not ready, yet. At least with Sandoval, there’s nothing to lose.
It took a trade involving Nunez, an option involving Hwang, a designation for Gillaspie and an injury to Belt, but Pablo Sandoval is back. Is this a good time to mention that if prospect Christian Arroyo was healthy, he would be starting at third base at third base instead of Sandoval? Probably something to keep in the back of your mind.
On Saturday, Sandoval will fly from Omaha, where the River Cats are playing a series, to San Francisco. Some fans will dig deep in their closets and dust off their Panda hats, while others will remember the fires that involved those hats, and more than a few bridges, that burned when Sandoval last left town.
Either way, the Giants just called up a player hitting .207 at AAA, and quite frankly, they didn’t have much of a choice.