The San Francisco Giants have designated 34-year old righty swinging CF Aaron Rowand for assignment. Rowand played in 108 games for the Giants this year and he was 77 for 331 (.233 avg, .621 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 4 homers, 21 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He played in 509 games in his four years with the Giants and he was 432 for 1,710 (.253 avg, .704 OPS) with 194 runs scored, 43 homers, 189 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. This is simply the Giants cutting their losses as Rowand was never the player they thought he would be.

UPDATE: (9/9/2011) - The San Francisco Giants have placed Aaron Rowand on release waivers which will allow him to become a free agent on Monday.

The San Francisco Giants have designated 37-year old righty swinging SS/3B Miguel Tejada for assignment. Tejada played in 91 games for the Giants this year and he was 77 for 322 (.239 avg, .596 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 4 homers, 26 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. This could be the end of a long and successful major league career for Tejada. Tejada has now played in 2,118 games in his first 15 years in the majors and he is 2,362 of 8,278 (.285 avg, .793 OPS) with 1,215 runs scored, 304 homers, 1,282 RBIs and 84 stolen bases.

UPDATE: (9/9/2011) - The Giants have placed Miguel Tejada on release waivers which will make him a free agent on Monday.

The San Francisco Giants have designated 23-year old lefty starting pitcher Clayton Tanner. Tanner pitched in 22 games (all starts) in AA-ball for the Giants this year and he was 6-10 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He pitched in 139 games (119 starts) in his first six years in the minors for the Giants and he was 51-43 with 1 save, a 3.66 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. The Giants would probably like to keep Tanner if he can clear waivers.

UPDATE: (8/31/2011) - The Giants have released Clayton Tanner.

Rookie 24-year old lefty starting pitcher Eric Surkamp looked good in his major league debut over the weekend. He didn’t get the win but he threw six innings allowing only 6 hits, allowing 3 walks, 1 earned run and he whiffed 4 batters. The Giants sent him back to the minors after the game but they will likely call him right back up when rosters expand on September 1st. Before his promotion, Surkamp pitched in 23 games (22 starts) in AA-ball for the Giants and he was 10-4 with a 2.02 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP.

The Giants have placed 27-year old lefty swinging outfielder Nate Schierholtz on the 15-day disabled list due to a hairline fracture in his foot. Schierholtz has played in 115 games for the Giants so far this year and he is 93 for 335 (.278 avg, .756 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 9 homers, 41 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. It’s too bad that Schierholtz got injured as he was having the best year of his career for the Giants, and they could have used his bat down the stretch.

32-year old lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt had a rough start to the 2011 season, but the last three months he has been nails. Since June 1st, Affeldt is 1-2 with 3 saves, a 1.21 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Overall this year, Affeldt has pitched in 61 games (0 starts) in which he is 2-2 with 3 saves, a 2.51 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has only given up 43 hits in his first 57 1/3 innings while whiffing 51 batters, which is impressive. He has walked 23 batters and that’s too many but it’s also nitpicking.

The Giants have placed 28-year old lefty starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 17th, due to a left ankle sprain. Sanchez has pitched in 19 games (all starts) for the Giants and he is 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Sanchez still has his control problem as he has walked 66 batters in his first 101 1/3 innings for the Giants this year. But, his stuff is still electric as he has whiffed 102 batters while only giving up 80 hits. The Giants hope that Sanchez gets healthy soon because they are going to need all hands on the deck if they are going to win the N.L. West this year.

The Giants re-signed 30-year old righty swinging outfielder Cody Ross over the winter to reward him for his great post-season. Ross played in 15 games in the Giants’ magical run to a World Series Crown last year in which he was 15 for 51 (.294 avg, 1.076 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 5 homers and 10 RBIs. Ross has been in a yearlong slump, just like most of the Giants have so far this year. Ross has played in 100 games for the Giants so far this year and he is 78 for 332 (.235 avg, .701 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 10 homers, 41 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. The Giants need Ross to step up soon if they are going to win the N.L. West this year.

The San Francisco Giants have placed 29-year old closer Brian Wilson on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to August 16th due to right elbow inflammation. Wilson has pitched in 55 games (0 starts) for the Giants so far this year and he is 6-4 with 35 saves, a 3.19 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. The Giants have recalled 26-year old righty reliever Steve Edlefsen to replace Wilson in the bullpen. He made his major league debut in the Giants’ 6-4 win over the Astros yesterday and he looked good, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings with 2 whiffs. Edlefsen pitched in 36 games (0 starts) in Rookie+AAA-ball this year and he was 2-4 with 1 save, a 5.44 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. He has now pitched in 191 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the minors and he is 27-12 with 18 saves, a 2.92 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. The Giants hope that Brian Wilson is ready to come off the D.L. when he becomes eligible.

The San Francisco Giants place 31-year old righty swinging catcher Eli Whiteside on the 7-day disabled list due to a concussion. Whiteside has played in 66 games for the Giants so far this year and he is 38 for 172 (.221 avg, .650 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 4 homers, 16 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Giants have called up 21-year old switch-hitting Hector Sanchez to replace Whiteside on the active roster. Sanchez has played in 3 games for the Giants so far this year and he is 0 for 3 (.000 avg, .250 OPS). He has also played in 88 games in A+AAA-ball so far this year and he is 93 for 329 (.283 avg, .750 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 9 homers and 72 RBIs. Sanchez might get more P.T. this time around as the Giants need to find some offense.