For the second straight day, the Giants made a waiver claim for a Bay Area native, this time adding relief depth.
They claimed right-hander Trevor Hildenberger from the New York Mets and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento. The 30-year-old went to Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose) and then played at Cal. On Monday, the Giants claimed former St. Francis (Mountain View) outfielder Braden Bishop.
The transaction had a notable other half. To clear a roster spot, the Giants put infielder Tommy La Stella (hamstring strain) on the 60-day IL. La Stella initially was supposed to miss four to six weeks, but the move means he can't return until the first week of July.
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Hildenberger made just two appearances for the Mets this season. He struck out two in a scoreless inning on April 17 but four days later allowed four earned runs in 1 1/3 innings. He has a 5.52 ERA in 134 big league appearances, but his FIP is 4.19 and he does have some history of MLB success out of a bullpen. In 2017 with the Twins, Hildenberger had a 3.21 ERA and 3.02 FIP in 37 appearances.
Hildenberger is a sidearm pitcher who primarily relies on a sinker in the upper 80s, a changeup that has had good success at the MLB level, and a slider. Given that he's now on the 40-man roster, and the struggles the Giants have had with the right-handers in their bullpen, he could get a shot soon.
