For the second time in a span of five months, the San Francisco Giants have signed a former Boston Red Sox infielder to a Minor League contract.
After inking a deal with Pablo Sandoval in July, the Giants reportedly agreed to terms with former Rockies’ third round draft choice Josh Rutledge, who has spent parts of the last six seasons at the Major League level.
Josh Rutledge signs minors deal with #SFGiants. 700K in majors.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 22, 2017
Rutledge played in just 37 games and hit .224 in 2017 with the Red Sox, but displayed promise earlier in his career when he hit .269 over 105 games during the 2014 season with the Colorado Rockies. Heyman’s report indicates the Giants will pay Rutledge more than the Major League minimum if he makes it to the big league level this season, which isn’t the case for Sandoval. The Giants still have two more seasons at which they can pay Sandoval the minimum salary thanks to the Red Sox decision to designate the third baseman for assignment in July.
After trading for Evan Longoria earlier this week, the Giants may not need a true backup corner infielder on their 25-man roster this year. Longoria has played in at least 150 games in each of the past five seasons, and Kelby Tomlinson is capable of making spot starts at third base. Because Brandon Belt’s primary backup at first base is Buster Posey, San Francisco could opt to add an extra outfielder or another middle infielder to its roster, which might make Rutledge’s path to the majors a bit easier to navigate.