The SF Giants designated Jerar Encarnacíon last week to make room for Bryce Eldridge and Jesús Rodríguez. According to the team’s transaction log, he cleared waivers and elected free agency.

SF Giants get resolution on waiver status for Jerar Encarnacíon

The Giants signed Encarnacíon out of the Mexican League two seasons ago. He hit his way onto the major league roster after putting up a 1.054 OPS with 10 home runs and 33 RBI in 146 plate appearances for the Sacramento River Cats.

By the end of the 2024 season, Encarnacíon was receiving regular playing time. That proved to be his most extended look with the Giants. In 119 plate appearances, he slashed .248/.277/.425 (94 wRC+) with five home runs, 19 RBI, and 13 runs.

The right-handed bat showed plenty of raw power and even led the Giants in bat speed when that metric was first published. They were intrigued by the power upside. That upside was limited due to too much chasing out of the zone and hitting the ball on the ground with regularity.

Plus, there is also a debate about how productive a hitter can be with a sub-.300 on-base percentage. For Encarnacíon, that was being driven by an extremely low 3.4 percent walk rate in 291 career plate appearances.

Encarnacíon made the team out of spring training, but struggled to a .406 OPS in 35 plate appearances. He is now free to sign with any team.

The Encarnacíon move has some ramifications for the overall outfield depth in the organization. When the offseason began, the Giants had far too many outfield options and not enough players who could fill roles with the club in 2026. Encarnacíon was part of that group, but the Giants remained intrigued by his power upside.

The Giants worked through some outfield depth in the upper minors. This includes them moving off of Encarnacíon, Luis Matos, Wade Meckler, and Marco Luciano. The depth is clearing up for some prospects not currently on the 40-man roster to try and grab hold of a role.

The Giants still have Grant McCray and Will Brennan on the 40-man roster in Sacramento. Behind them, Victor Bericoto, Bo Davidson, Jonah Cox, and Scott Bandura are all making some noise. Davidson, Cox, and Bandura all remain in Double-A, but the path is clearing for them to reach Triple-A sooner rather than later.

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