© Mark J. Rebilas USA Today
SAN FRANCISCO — Over the weekend Steven Duggar received a text from Sacramento River Cats manager Dave Brundage that there was a chance he wouldn’t make the Triple-A All-Star Game.
Duggar was eating dinner in the hotel lobby while playing an away stint in Reno against the Reno Aces when he got the news.
“(Brundage) texted me and I was eating dinner with (Chris) Shaw and (Ryder) Jones. He texted me and said, ‘I need to talk to you about the Triple-A All-Star Game,’” Duggar said. “He started talking and was like, ‘Well, you can go to the Triple-A All-Star Game or you can go to the big leagues, you pick’ and I was like, ‘Did he just say that right?’ So yeah, it was a fun moment, exciting to say the least.”
Chase d’Arnaud was originally slated to represent the Sacramento River Cats in the Triple-A All-Star Game taking place on July 11, 2018. While Duggar felt Bochy was kidding about replacing d’Arnaud as a way to break the news, he was not certain. Regardless, the rookie is excited to make his debut behind Giants veteran Madison Bumgarner.
Duggar’s opportunity came after the Giants made some roster moves following the trade of right-handed pitcher Cory Gearrin and outfielder Austin Jackson to the Texas Rangers. The Giants brought up Duggar and RHP Ray Black to fill the gaps left by the trade.
Bochy praised the rookie, who has hit .272 with 52 runs scored, 27 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 21 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 78 games with the River Cats this year.
“(Duggar and Black) have been on the radar, you look how they’ve been playing,” Bochy said. “You talk about how guys are doing down there in Sacramento, and who’s doing well, and what might make your club a little bit better here. So these are always going on. So no, it wasn’t what’s happened the last four or five days. Although with that said, sometimes you need to change things up a little bit when you get in a little rut like we’re in right now.”
Both Duggar and Black are looking to make their Major League debut today at AT&T in the final game against the St. Louis Cardinals.