The last place San Francisco Giants made a call up on Saturday. Pablo Sandoval, who was cut the by the Boston Red Sox this year, was called up by the team. The move comes after Brandon Belt was placed on the disabled list. Sandoval was signed to a minor league contract on July 22 after his release from Boston.
Return of "panda"
Sandoval was the postseason hero of the Giants when the team won their third World Series championship in six years. Sandoval was the 2012 World Series MVP when he finished with a stat line of a .500 batting average, nine hits, three home runs, and four runs driven in.
Then, when the Giants won in 2014, Sandoval recorded 12 hits and hit .429.
However, Sandoval elected to leave the Giants. He went on to sign with the Red Sox for five years, and $95 million. The contract will go down as one of the biggest busts in Red Sox history. Sandoval played a total of 161 games in three seasons, including just three games in 2015. Sandoval was a career .294 hitter in seven seasons in San Francisco but was a .237 career hitter in Boston.
Sandoval will get a chance to redeem himself. Belt will be gone for at least seven days, so Sandoval slides in as the team's starting third baseman. The move comes with little risk as the team is out of playoff contention. The Giants are 42-69 on the season.
Belt's injury
Belt was diagnosed with a concussion. Belt was hit in the head by a curveball on Friday night. Belt is hitting .241 on the season with 51 RBIs. Belt joins Johnny Cueto (right finger blisters) and Austin Slater (right hip flexor) as players that have hit the disabled list in the last month. Belt could be back as soon as next week though.
Moving forward
If Sandoval can show that he can play close to what he did the first time he was in San Francisco, then he could resurrect his career. Sandoval is still getting paid what he is owed from the balance of his contract in Boston. However, he could still have a long career ahead of him if he produces at the plate. Sandoval is just 30 years old but will turn 31 on August 11.
If Sandoval does not produce, he would get sent back to Triple-A Sacramento. It's unclear how much Sandoval would want to keep playing if he was reduced to the minor leagues. It will take a lot for Sandoval to prove his worth. He has not had a productive season in the majors since 2014. Even his first season in Boston when he hit .245, Sandoval only played 126 games in an injury plagued season. With a second chance, this is his shot at redemption.
