SF Giants release former White Sox slugger Yermín Mercedes

The SF Giants released slugger Yermín Mercedes earlier this week, putting the former Chicago White Sox fan favorite on the free-agent market.

Marc Delucchi | Oct 18, 2022

SF Giants release former White Sox slugger Yermín Mercedes /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants released slugger Yermín Mercedes earlier this week, according to the MILB Transactions Tracker. The Giants acquired Mercedes off waivers from the Chicago White Sox earlier this season, but his defensive limitations led the Giants to designate him for assignment and outright him to Triple-A. Now a free agent, Mercedes can negotiate a new contract with any MLB team.

SF Giants first baseman Yermín Mercedes — Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Mercedes made his big-league debut in 2020 with the White Sox, but he burst onto the scene early in the 2021 season. Mercedes started the season 8-for-8 and hit .500/.548/.816 with three doubles and three home runs in the first 10 games of the season. Over time, however, Mercedes regressed and was optioned back to the minors.

Mercedes did not appear in a major-league game with the White Sox this season before they designated him for assignment. The Giants immediately added him to their big-league roster. He got off to a good start but stalled at the plate as time went on. He hit .233/.325/.342 with five doubles and one home run in 83 plate appearances before he was optioned.

Both the Giants and White Sox probably would have given Mercedes a longer leash at the plate if he had more defensive versatility. While he was developed as a catcher, Mercedes is not a viable MLB backstop. With limited athleticism, though, he is likely limited to designated hitter. Giants manager Gabe Kapler experimented with Mercedes at first base and in the outfield, but he made several costly mistakes at both spots.

Yermín Mercedes was more productive at Triple-A this season, posting a .802 OPS in the extremely hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Given the 29-year-old's ability to hit, he should have no problem finding a landing spot this offseason. However, after the SF Giants released him earlier this week, it seems unlikely that he will be back in the Giants organization next season.

Published Oct 18, 2022

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).