Giants lose outfielder Altherr on waiver claim

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants had hoped they would be able to sneak Aaron Altherr through waivers and keep him in the organization, but that plan was thwarted Thursday after the Mets claimed the 28-year-old outfielder.

Altherr logged just one at-bat with San Francisco before being designated for assignment on Sunday. With four other outfielders already on their Major League roster, the Giants opted to cut Altherr to clear a spot for left-hander Drew Pomeranz, who was activated off the injured list.

It was a calculated risk, as the Giants hoped to outright Altherr to Triple-A Sacramento and work with him to recapture the swing that produced an .856 OPS and 19 home runs over 107 games for the Phillies in 2017.

“You pull for these guys to be in the big leagues,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Good for him. Selfishly, though, we would have loved to have him in our system and just give him some at-bats. That’s what he needs right now, reps. The Mets obviously see him the way we saw him. He’s a guy with tremendous potential.”

Crawford out
Shortstop Brandon Crawford sat out Thursday’s series finale against the Braves with conjunctivitis. Bochy said Crawford might not return to the starting lineup until Saturday, though he will be available off the bench.

“We’re trying to get this thing cleared up,” Bochy said. “He’ll probably be off tomorrow, too.”

Donovan Solano started at shortstop in place of Crawford.

Black returns
Ray Black was activated off the seven-day injured list at Triple-A Sacramento Wednesday after missing just over a month with a pronator strain in his right forearm. Black, who is the Giants’ No. 14 ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, posted a 6.43 ERA in seven relief appearances for Sacramento before landing on the IL.