The Giants announced that outfielder Gerard Encarnacion designed for assignment and back partner Is Brennan optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. Those are parallel steps to remember Bryce Eldridge again Jesus Rodríguezmoves reported yesterday. The Giants also missed a right-hander Trevor McDonald and placed on the left Erik Miller on the 15-day low back injury list, which resumes until May 1st.
Encarnacion signed a minor league contract with the Giants through May of 2024. At the time, he was coming off a huge .366/.439/.989 showing in 26 Mexican League games. That’s a hitter-friendly league but that streak was impressive regardless. He then put up a .352/.438/.616 showing at Triple-A and was added to the big league roster in August.
He has been with this 40-year-old man ever since. Because he ran out of options, he was also on the active roster all the time, except for IL stints. He spent most of 2025 in IL, sidelined with a broken wrist, oblique strain and hamstring strain.
His numbers against big league hitting didn’t come close to his career in the minors or Mexico. He has stepped up to the plate 210 times as a Giant. His 3.3% walk rate and 27.1% strikeout rate in that span are both bad numbers. His .223/.248/.371 line in the sample leads to a wRC+ of 71, which is 29% below the league average. That includes a .176/.200/.206 offensive line here in 2026.
The San Francisco case as a whole was very difficult. Encarnacion has been a small part of that but is a victim of a club trying to fix things. With no power left, he has been stuck in DFA limbo, which can last for a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Giants could take five days to receive trade interest, but they could also put him on waivers sooner than that.
Based on how much he’s been struggling, it seems fair to expect him to clear the waiver wire. He has been a standout talent before but not in the big ones. Even the impressive numbers he put up in Mexico and the minors are two years old this season. He has a straight forward career so he will be eligible for free agency if he is re-targeted in the coming days.
Turning to the move, it’s unclear how long Miller will need to be shelved, but the Giants are losing one of their most intriguing shortstops. Miller walks a lot of batters but has high 90s fastball and can strike guys out. His 35.4% strikeout rate and 56% ground ball rate this year is great, although he has given away free passes to 12.5% of opponents. With Miller out, the Giants are down Matt Gage again Ryan Borucki like their southpaw tablets.
McDonald starts tonight’s game and looks to be the starter. The Giants were scheduled to play a doubleheader on Thursday, with Logan Webb again Adrian Houser starting two tournaments. Then Robbie Ray, Landen Roupp again Tyler Mahle started the next three games. None of that quintet will be available for regular rest tonight. After McDonald starts tonight’s game, he may be sent back to the minors, with a new arm coming to join the bullpen.
Photo courtesy of Justine Willard, Imagn Images
