SAN FRANCISCO — When he was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays last week, Mitch White packed up his things, headed west and tried to manifest destiny.
“It couldn’t have worked out better,” the 29-year-old right-hander said Tuesday afternoon from his new locker in the Giants’ clubhouse.
Sitting at home in San Diego, White received a call from assistant general manager Jeremy Shelley, who informed him that the Giants had worked out a trade with Toronto. San Francisco sent cash considerations, and the San Jose-born pitcher would get the chance to suit up for the team he grew up rooting for.
Taking the place of rookie Landen Roupp, who was optioned to Triple-A, White brings experience and the ability to pitch multiple innings to the Giants’ bullpen.
“Being from San Jose, that was the team,” White said, naming Matt Cain as his favorite player. “Especially those years from ’10 to ’14 were awesome. … Obviously all those guys were sick.”
White made his offseason home in San Francisco before moving south for training purposes, and before his daily commute took him to Oracle Park, White remembers sneaking away from class at Bellarmine Prep and catching the CalTrain into the city to attend the Giants’ three championship parades down Market Street.
White attended Bellarmine from 2009-13, and he was still in the area for the 2014 title, going on to nearby Santa Clara University before the Dodgers selected him 65th overall in the 2016 amateur draft. His high school conquests instantly gave him a conversation topic with hitting coach Pat Burrell, another Bellarmine baseball alumnus.
“He brought it up right way,” White said. “It’s pretty cool, been looking up to him ever since (high school).”
The Dodgers drafted White when Farhan Zaidi was the general manager in Los Angeles, and Giants fans may remember White from his time on the other side of the rivalry, serving as a thorn in the Giants’ side in five appearances — one start — before being dealt to Toronto at the 2022 trade deadline. He limited them to two runs on four hits and struck out five over nine innings, leaving Los Angeles with a 3.58 ERA in the first 38 appearances of his career, including nine starts.
It has been a different story since joining the Blue Jays, where he posted a 7.26 ERA in 24 games (eight starts). He was sidelined with shoulder inflammation and designated for assignment twice, going unclaimed the first time. But his underlying numbers look much better. His 4.09 FIP in Toronto was only a tick higher than the 3.87 mark he posted in Los Angeles.
In four appearances this season, he had a 5.40 ERA and pitched as many as 4⅓ innings of relief on 65 pitches.
“After he throws today, we’ll see where we go with it,” manager Bob Melvin said. “He hasn’t pitched in a little bit here, but typically he can bring us some length. He’s been stretched out before we got here — three or four innings or something like that — so that’s probably the role he’s in right now.”
Roupp, 25, will continue to be stretched out at Triple-A Sacramento, Melvin said, but wouldn’t rule out the young right-hander returning to the major-league bullpen later this season. In 10⅓ innings over eight appearances, Roupp posted a 4.35 ERA and used his two-seamer and curveball to record seven strikeouts.
“Based on the innings he threw last year, it’s prudent to stretch him out some. How much and what his needs for us are going to be are still kind of yet to be determined,” Melvin said. “We went into spring training and (Roupp) was a guy we didn’t even target to potentially make the team. … Next thing you know, he’s thrust into games and ends up making the team. So it was pretty cool to watch. Obviously he’s got great stuff. He’ll be back at some point in time.”
With their moves the past two days, the Giants have replaced two rookies — Roupp and Nick Avila — with a pair of veterans in White and Luke Jackson, who was activated from the injured list before Monday’s game. The group as a whole has been the second-worst in the majors, with a 5.47 ERA.
“I don’t mind having some younger guys, too, and it’s good for them, experience-wise,” Melvin said. “But it’s always nice to have experienced arms in the bullpen. Getting Luke back is big for us. White, as well, he’s got some experience, too.”