The Boston Red Sox have plenty of their own problems to take care of entering a three-game series with the New York Yankees this weekend. But when it comes to some of their former players, they’re just looking for a new job.
Dominic Smith is one player that falls into that category as the former Red Sox outfielder opted out of his New York Yankees contract earlier this week. While Smith was unemployed, he wasn’t on the market for long as he found a new team just in time to make his debut on Wednesday night.
Giants Sign Former Red Sox OF Dominic Smith Days After He Quit Yankees
According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic, the San Francisco Giants are signing Smith and adding him to the active roster before Wednesday’s game against the San Diego Padres. Smith’s arrival is part of a larger roster shakeup that includes veteran infielder LaMonte Wade Jr. and catcher Sam Huff being designated for assignment and the call up of outfielder Daniel Johnson and catcher Andrew Knizner from Triple-A Sacramento.
Smith hit .255/.333/.448 with eight homers and 45 RBI for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, but was on the rise, hitting .317/.389/.622 in the month of May. While Smith’s performance was worthy of a call-up, the Yankees didn’t pull the trigger as Paul Goldschmidt and Ben Rice held down first base, and the quartet of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Jasson Dominguez, and Trent Grisham were entrenched in the outfield.
The 30-year-old should have a better opportunity in San Francisco as the Giants feature Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee, and Mike Yastrzemski in the outfield, but Jerar Encarnacion is the only suitable depth behind them.
A former first-round pick by the New York Mets, Smith spent one season in Boston, hitting .237/.317/.390 with six homers and 34 RBI in 84 games before he was released last August. He has also spent time with the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds during his career.