Giants Baseball Insider

Report: SF Giants to release former Mariners, White Sox, Dodgers outfielder

The SF Giants reportedly plan to release outfielder A.J. Pollock, who they acquired at the trade deadline from the Seattle Mariners.

Marc Delucchi

Report: SF Giants to release former Mariners, White Sox, Dodgers outfielder
Report: SF Giants to release former Mariners, White Sox, Dodgers outfielder /
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The SF Giants are going to release outfielder A.J. Pollock, according to a report by Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Pollock is currently on the injured list but recently began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento. His release will create an opening on the 40-man roster, which will likely be used for reliever John Brebbia, who needs to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list to be activated. Pollock has gone 1-for-6 with a double, walk, and three strikeouts in two games at Triple-A Sacramento.

The Giants acquired Pollock from the Seattle Mariners alongside infielder Mark Mathias in the team's lone deal at the trade deadline. Mathias has since been placed on the 60-day injured list, meaning neither of San Francisco's deadline acquisitions will play for the team in September. 

Pollock was hopeful he could bounce back from the worst slump of his career in San Francisco, but hitting the injured list just as young right-handed hitting outfielder Heliot Ramos (Giants Top 30 Prospect) caught fire robbed Pollock of a prolonged opportunity. He only appeared in five games with the Giants, but on the season, he is hitting .165/.215/.308 with five home runs in 144 plate appearances.

Pollock is a 12-year MLB veteran who has previously won a Gold Glove and received an All-Star selection. However, he has fallen far from the peak of his career.

Pollock began his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, starting in center field for seven seasons before becoming a free agent and inking a four-year, $55 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Injuries limited Pollock to just 258 games across three seasons in LA, but he was incredibly productive against left-handed pitching and hit .282/.337/.519 with the Dodgers. Before the final season of his contract, though, Pollock was traded to the White Sox for Craig Kimbrel. His production immediately dipped in Chicago, which forced him to settle for a one-year, $7 million deal with the Mariners this offseason.

The SF Giants need to turn things around in September if they want to reach the playoffs. However, the front office has admitted that trade deadline acquisition A.J. Pollock will not be a part of that equation after deciding to release him on Monday night.

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Marc Delucchi
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).

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