**Giants, Clayton Andrews Agree To Minor League Deal**
The San Francisco Giants have signed left-handed reliever Clayton Andrews to a minor league contract, according to the transaction log on MLB.com. Andrews has been assigned to the Giants’ Arizona complex but is expected to move to Triple-A Sacramento soon.
Originally drafted in the 17th round by the Brewers, Andrews has made five MLB appearances. The 5’6″ pitcher debuted in the majors with Milwaukee last season, appearing in four games. This year, he made a single appearance for the Yankees, who had acquired him from the Brewers in February. In his lone game for New York, Andrews recorded one out but gave up a home run to Luke Raley. He was designated for assignment and placed on waivers when the Yankees signed Tim Hill last month.
Andrews has cleared waivers twice this season. After the second waiver clearance, he opted for minor league free agency instead of returning to Triple-A with the Yankees. This move allows him to play closer to home, as the 27-year-old attended high school in Santa Rosa and college at Long Beach State.
The Giants have been short on left-handed relief options. Only Taylor Rogers and Erik Miller have pitched multiple innings as southpaws in Bob Melvin’s bullpen this year. Raymond Burgos made a brief MLB debut but was quickly removed from the 40-man roster. To strengthen their bullpen, the Giants recently added Alex Young from the Reds in exchange for Austin Slater and claimed Kolton Ingram off waivers from the Cardinals.
San Francisco is taking a chance on Andrews, who has demonstrated an ability to strike out batters in the minors. He struck out nearly 26% of hitters over 24 2/3 innings at Triple-A for the Yankees. Over six minor league seasons, he has fanned nearly a third of the batters he faced. However, Andrews has struggled with control, walking over 12% of opponents in his career and issuing free passes to 20.4% of batters in the Yankees’ system this year.
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