SF Giants designate former Dodgers, Padres slugger for assignment
The SF Giants have designated first baseman/outfielder Matt Beaty for assignment on Tuesday. The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster to activate veteran reliever Luke Jackson from the 60-day injured list. Beaty is now available to be claimed off waivers by any of the 29 other MLB teams. While he could remain in the organization if he clears waivers, Beaty has accrued enough service time to reject an outright assignment to the minors and become a free agent.
Royals first baseman Matt Beaty lobs the ball to first base during spring training. (2023)
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants acquired Beaty in a minor trade on Opening Day from the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations. Beaty had inked a minor-league contract with the Royals during the offseason but was going to exercise an opt-out in his contract after failing to crack their 26-man roster by the end of spring training. So, the Giants scooped him up and kept him on the active roster for a short time before optioning him to Triple-A Sacramento. Beaty was 1-for-5 in four big-league games with the Giants this season but hit .272/.406/.447 with six doubles and four home runs in 30 games at Triple-A.
Beaty was drafted by the Dodgers in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Belmont University, overlapping with both Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler during their tenures in Los Angeles. Beaty reached the majors in 2019 and emerged as a key contributor for the Dodgers, hitting .265/.317/.458 with 19 doubles and 9 home runs in 99 games.
The left-handed hitter slumped through the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before bouncing back in 2021. Beaty made 234 plate appearances in 120 games, playing in a strict platoon, and posted an above-average .270/.363/.403 triple-slash with four doubles and seven homers.
Prior to last season, the Dodgers traded Beaty to the Padres for a pitching prospect. San Diego planned to utilize Beaty off the bench as a pinch-hitter, occasionally starting him in the outfield against right-handed pitching. However, injuries derailed his season and led him to post a horrendous .093/.170/.163 triple-slash in 47 plate appearances. He missed a significant portion of the season with an injury but was released shortly after his return.
The Giants were willing to bet on Beaty rekindling some of his success with the Dodgers. He was excellent throughout spring training for Kansas City and has remained productive at Triple-A. However, the emergence of Blake Sabol (Giants #33 prospect) as a viable left-handed-hitting option at designated hitter behind Joc Pederson alongside LaMonte Wade Jr.'s breakout season did not leave an opportunity for someone like Matt Beaty to crack the depth chart. Now he will look to catch on elsewhere after the SF Giants designated him for assignment.
