© Kelley L Cox | 2019 Jun 24
It’s official. After days of speculation regarding how much time second baseman Joe Panik had left with the big league club, the Giants designated the six-year veteran for assignment on Tuesday afternoon. Because of his service time, if Panik clears waivers, he would have to accept being outrighted to triple-A Sacramento. Should he decline, he would be released and become a free agent.
The writing was on the wall for Panik’s future with the club after the trade deadline, when the Giants acquired former All-Star second basemen Scooter Gennett in a cash trade with the Cincinnati Reds. Gennett, 29, has started every game at second base for the Giants since joining the team on August 2.
Panik, 28, was selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He was a contributor on the Giants World Series team in 2014, his first year in the big leagues. He made the All-Star team in 2015, and won the NL Gold Glove in 2016. Panik slashed .271/.334/.383 and hit 36 home runs in his five and a half years with the club.
Reliever Sam Selman was also optioned to triple-A. Conner Menez, who will start vs. the Nationals Tuesday, and reliever Williams Jerez were called up.
