SF Giants recall OF Cal Stevenson, place SS Brandon Crawford on IL

The SF Giants placed veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford on the 10-day IL, recalling recently acquired outfielder Cal Stevenson from Triple-A.

Marc Delucchi | May 1, 2023

SF Giants recall OF Cal Stevenson, place SS Brandon Crawford on IL /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants made a pair of roster moves on Monday before the start of the team's three-game series against the Houston Astros. The first was expected, with outfielder Mike Yastrzemski landing on the injured list with a left hamstring strain and versatile Brett Wisely (Giants #22 prospect) taking his spot on the active roster. However, the team also placed veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain and recalled outfielder Cal Stevenson from Triple-A Sacramento.

Oakland Athletics center fielder Cal Stevenson hits a double against the Seattle Mariners. (2022) / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants acquired Stevenson in a minor trade with the Oakland Athletics last month, which resulted in southpaw Sam Long heading back to the A's. Stevenson was a 10th-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2018 and has steadily climbed the minor-league ranks before making his big-league debut with the A's last season. In his first MLB stint, Stevenson struggled mightily in 71 plate appearances, hitting .167/.261/.217 with 23 strikeouts and eight walks.

A 26-year-old, Stevenson's scouting report will sound familiar to fans who have followed Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi's moves at the fringes of the 40-man roster during his tenure. Stevenson has shown an excellent approach throughout his minor-league career, walking more than he's struck out. He has above-average speed and is capable of handling all three outfield positions.

The biggest question facing Stevenson is his limited power. Even with his approach, Stevenson has struggled to impact the ball. Over his Triple-A career, Stevenson has hit .288/.392/.415 with 52 walks and 66 strikeouts in 356 plate appearances. Since joining the Giants organization, Stevenson has hit .263/.300/.421 in 20 plate appearances at Triple-A.

It's worth noting that Stevenson, a left-handed hitter, has showcased extreme platoon splits at times in the minor leagues. Last season, between Triple-A and his stint in the majors, Stevenson posted an abysmal .167/.256/.218 line against southpaws while striking out in more than 25% of his plate appearances. Against righties, on the other hand, he hit .293/.400/.427 with an 18.8% strikeout rate and a 15.0% walk rate.

Crawford has had a tumultuous start to the season. While he has flashed impressive power, including a controversial splash hit, Crawford is only hitting .169/.244/.352 with 22 strikeouts in 78 plate appearances. He also has committed four errors. He will be eligible to return from the injured list on May 10th.

Published May 1, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).