The San Francisco Giants spent much of the year acting as though the waiver wire did not exist. But they’re now ending the season by trying to make up for lost time.
On Thursday, the team announced that it had claimed infielder Brett Harris off of waivers. Harris had been designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox two days prior. To make space for Harris on the 40-man roster, pitcher Keaton Winn was moved from the 15-Day Injured List to the 60-Day Injured List.
Harris, a 28-year old right-hander,
was a seventh-round pick by the Athletics in 2021, out of Gonzaga. He made his MLB debut in 2024 and has played in the Majors for the A’s in each of the past three seasons, while also appearing in games for the Red Sox this year.
He’s never really been able to find his bat in the Majors, as he holds a career .192/.307/.286 slash line in 216 MLB plate appearances. But he’s done a good job working counts, and he plays very strong defense at third base, while also being able to handle first and second. He’s spent most of this year in AAA, where he’s hit .293/.405/.459 for a 119 wRC+ with both the A’s and Red Sox affiliates. The Giants optioned him to Sacramento, so he’ll get a chance to lace up cleats for three different AAA teams this year.
While Harris could find himself in the Majors with San Francisco this year, especially if Christian Koss, Osleivis Basabe, Shay Whitcomb, or Nate Furman were to suffer an injury, it’s highly unlikely that he survives the upcoming offseason roster crunch. The Giants have a whopping 14 players on the 60-Day IL currently, meaning their 40-man roster has 54 names on it. That number will have to get trimmed down to 40 when the season ends, and lower still when the team wants to make Rule 5 protections and sign free agents. And not only is Harris unproven, but he’ll be out of options after this season.
But adding Harris now gives the Giants some extra depth in the infield for the rest of the season. And it also gives them a good chance of slipping him through waivers in the offseason, and then outrighting him to Sacramento to keep him in the system.
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants kick off a three-game road series against the New York Mets today at 4:10 p.m. PT.
