SF Giants DH Joc Pederson heads to Single-A for rehab assignment
A day after the SF Giants sent Joey Bart to Triple-A to begin a rehab assignment, they assigned another slugger to the minors to begin a rehab assignment of his own. Designated hitter Joc Pederson will be starting on Saturday night for the Giants Single-A affiliate in San Jose. Pederson has already hit the injured list twice this season. He has been out since May 16th with a right hand contusion.
Pederson also dealt with wrist inflammation in April that sidelined him for a couple of weeks. Despite the injuries, Pederson has remained incredibly effective when he's been in the lineup. In 97 plate appearances this season, Pederson is hitting .235/.351/.494 triple-slash with five home runs. A left-handed hitter with significant platoon splits, Pederson has remained the Giants starting designated hitter against right-handed pitching.
Pederson was selected to his second career All-Star game last season, his first with the Giants, hitting .274/.353/.521 with 23 home runs. After becoming a free agent, he accepted a qualifying offer during the offseason to return to the Bay Area. In his 10th big-league season, Pederson continues to be a formidable bat. Over his career, which started with the Dodgers before short stints with the Cubs and Atlanta, Pederson has blasted 176 home runs alongside a .237/.335/.470 triple-slash.
Pederson's return will create an interesting logjam for Giants manager Gabe Kapler to address. Blake Sabol (Giants #33 prospect) has replaced Joc as the team's go-to left-handed hitting designated hitter and has performed well. With Patrick Bailey (Giants #21 prospect) now blocking Sabol from catching and Mitch Haniger blocking him from left field, it's difficult to envision the young player getting many opportunities if Pederson reprises his old role. Then again, it's hard to imagine the SF Giants keeping Joc Pederson's bat out of the lineup.
