Giants option Dereck Rodriguez to Triple-A again, call Austin Slater back up

Second-year pitcher Dereck Rodriguez is headed back to Sacramento as the Giants call up  Austin Slater from Triple-A.

Rodriguez has been shuffled around the Giants rotation in a down 2019, sometimes appearing as a long reliever in addition to eight starts. He was also sent down to Sacramento in mid-May before returning to the Giants after a couple weeks.

Sunday was Rodriguez’s most recent appearance, giving up three runs in less than an inning of work in the Giants’ 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks. The outing ballooned Rodriguez’s ERA to 5.27 this season, following a 2018 that warranted a case for NL Rookie of the Year.

As for Slater, it’s his first time up with the Giants in 2019. He saw time in San Francisco over each of the previous two seasons in the outfield and at first base. He worked in the offseason to remake his swing to drive the ball more.

It appears that may have worked, as he slugged 12 home runs in 70 games for the RiverCats and drove up his on-base percentage to .436. Now the Giants will see whether those improvements will carry over into the big leagues.