Giants claim Yermin Mercedes off waivers from White Sox

The Giants have claimed first baseman Yermin Mercedes off waivers from the White Sox, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports. He has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

In a corresponding move, the Giants designated catcher Michael Papierski for assignment, per MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado. This was necessary to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old catcher made his Major League debut this season for the Giants, going hitless with one walk and four strikeouts in 10 plate appearances. The Giants acquired him this season in a trade with the Astros for utilityman Mauricio Dubon.

Mercedes will head to Triple-A for now, but it’s not impossible to see him playing a role for the Giants later this season. He’s a bit redundant with righty Darin Ruf, but the rest of the San Francisco bench leans left-handed. Mercedes crushed lefties last season to the tune of .339/.386/.523 in 70 plate appearances. He did not bring the same oomph against same-handed hurlers, however, hitting just .246/.307/.360 in 175 plate appearances against righties.