The San Francisco Giants found a diamond in the rough when they signed Donovan Solano to a minor league deal on January 24, 2019.
Little was expected of the journeyman at the time, especially considering he had not seen action at the MLB level since the 2016 season.
When fellow minor league free-agent signing Yangervis Solarte broke camp with the utility infield job, Solano reported to Triple-A Sacramento. He wouldn’t be there for long.
After hitting .322/.392/.437 over 97 plate appearances in 24 games, Solano was called up to replace Solarte on the MLB roster when he was designated for assignment on May 7.