SAN FRANCISCO — You can officially close the books on the Matt Moore-Matt Duffy trade. The Rays had spent several days looking into the possibility of seeking additional compensation from the Giants because of a bone bruise in Lucius Fox’s left foot, but the two organizations have agreed that it’s not necessary.
“Me and (Rays president of baseball operations) Matt Silverman talked it through and agreed that based on the information that we had, they didn’t disagree with us and they would have done something similar to us,” Giants GM Bobby Evans said.
Fox is a 19-year-old shortstop who was one of three players sent to Tampa Bay. He fouled a ball off his foot a week before the trade but played through the soreness, only mentioning it to a trainer about five days later. The Giants are generally aggressive with ordering tests when a player has a bone bruise, but they didn’t get a chance with Fox because he was traded a couple days later. The Rays, as all teams do, ordered a full round of tests for their new players and discovered a bruise that could keep Fox out for the rest of the minor league season.
“Ultimately the conclusion we all came to was there was limited info where we couldn’t have expected he would miss time,” Evans said.
The Rays agreed, and the matter was settled without getting to the league office. The original trade was a complicated one and was finalized a minute before the deadline, with the Rays getting three players who were banged-up as of deadline day. It’s unclear how much time Fox will miss, but the Rays are at least now able to take advantage of the centerpiece in that deal. Duffy made his Tampa debut Friday night and singled in his second at-bat.
--- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the Giants will “have to do something pretty soon” with Cory Gearrin, but no decision has been finalized regarding when he’ll end his rehab assignment. Gearrin has made five appearances for the Sacramento River Cats and the reports are good.
--- Turns out Brandon Crawford’s road trip was even a bit better than it first appeared. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Crawford became the first Giants shortstop since Travis Jackson in 1934 to homer in a 1-0 game.
--- Mac Williamson took batting practice for the first time since getting hurt. Earlier in BP, Hunter Pence hit a homer onto the concourse in left field, so he may be ready to bust out of this slump.
