SAN FRANCISCO— On Sunday, August 23, the San Francisco Giants designated 37 year-old veteran outfielder Hunter Pence for assignment, bringing his second stint with the Giants to an abrupt end.
The Giants designated Pence to clear two 60 man roster spots for reliever Sam Coonrod and infielder Daniel Robertson. They activated Coonrod off of the injured list. The Giants acquired Robertson from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash or a player to be named later. Coonrod joins the Giants Major League squad, while Robertson reported to the team’s alternate training site in Sacramento.
Eight years ago, the Giants traded for Pence from the Phillies midseason. From 2012 to 2018, Pence played a major part in the Giants successes, helping the franchise win the World Series in 2012 and 2014. He became a fan favorite and one of the faces of these Giants teams. After the 2018 season, his contract ended. The Giants decided not to bring him back and after reworking his swing in the offseason, Pence signed with the Texas Rangers. In 2019, Pence proved that he could still have success, hitting 18 home runs during an all-star campaign for the Rangers.
As a result, the Giants reunited with Pence, signing him to a one-year, $3 million contract this past offseason. The Giants front office signed Pence because of his ability to get hits against left-handed pitching. He never snapped out of his slump. In 17 games played this year, he had only 5 hits with 52 bats with two home runs. He also made some costly defensive mistakes in the outfield. With the Giants having other players like Wilmer Flores be more productive against lefties, Pence had seen his playing time decrease.
After receiving the news on Saturday night, Pence tweeted on Sunday, “Thank you guys for incredible baseball with amazing teammates, coaches, staff, organization, and the fans. It was awesome!”
Now that they have designated Pence for assignment, the Giants have seven days to trade him, release him outright, or place him on waivers.
