The San Francisco Giants have claimed former Gonzaga first baseman Taylor Jones off waivers from the Houston Astros, optioning him to Triple-A Sacramento.
Houston designated Jones for assignment earlier this week, and San Francisco took a gamble on the 28-year-old who has spent parts of each of the last three seasons in the big leagues.
Across those three seasons Jones has racked up just 131 plate appearances, slashing .234/.260/.395 with three home runs and an elevated 27.5% strikeout rate.
Jones has been much better at the Triple-A level, however, posting a career .279/.377/.487 line. He’s looked the part this season as well, hitting .263/.370/.456 with 12 home runs and a nice 10.9% walk rate.
Jones is out of options after this season, meaning the Giants can keep him at Triple-A all season long but must keep him on the 40-man roster all offseason, or else subject him to waivers again.
And, if they do keep him around, he’ll have to make the team’s Opening Day roster next year or else he’ll be on waivers once again.
Andy hosts the Locked on Zags and Locked on College Basketball podcasts, and serves Locked On in a marketing/digital content creator role as well. He lives just outside Portland with his wife Jenna and dog, Tillie.