Experienced infielder Pablo Sandoval is expected to reunite with the Giants in the spring, NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic reported this afternoon. Sandoval is expected to join the club on a minor league contract and receive a non-roster invite to big league spring training. Pavlovic makes it clear that Sandoval's situation is different than that of the longtime Giants reliever Sergio Romo last year. Back in March, Romo returned to San Francisco on a non-roster contract of his own, with the plan for this to be a ceremonial final stop before retirement. Pavlovic points out that Sandoval, in contrast, is hoping for a comeback after last appearing in the majors in 2021.
The 37-year-old veteran began his professional career with the Giants at the age of 17 in 2004. He made his big league debut with the club in 2008 and won three World Series championships with the club before moving on before the season to the Red Sox via free agency in 2015. Sandoval's stay in Boston would be short-lived, however, as he struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness for three seasons with the Red Sox before the club called him up for assignment in July 2017. He re-signed with the Giants just a few days later. He later spent the next three years on the club's bench, posting league averages of .253/.308/.437 in 642 appearances in a Giants jersey from 2018 to 2020.
Sandoval parted ways with the Giants for a second time near the end of the shortened 2020 season and joined the Braves after being released by the club. He made one appearance for Atlanta during the stretch run before returning for the 2021 season, where he appeared in 69 games as a reserve player before being traded to Cleveland Eddie Rosario just before this year's trading deadline. Sandoval was released immediately after the move without playing for his new club. Since his last chance at the big leagues, Sandoval has played in several leagues in Latin America, including 91 games in the Mexican League in 2022. The Panda last appeared in a professional game in Dubai last fall.
Given that Sandoval is just a few months shy of his 38th birthday and has not played with the club's team since the 2021 season, he is certainly a long shot to make the club's 40-man roster heading into the season starts. Given the club's plethora of options at the infield corners, including JD Davis, Wilmer FloresAnd LaMonte Wade Jr. That being said, the switch-hitting veteran has a career .285/.337/.457 mark in parts of 11 seasons in San Francisco and will certainly bring his energy and veteran presence to the Giants' clubhouse this spring if he can make it you can secure a place on the club's bench for the 2024 season or not.