The San Francisco Giants have taken action. Just one day after relief pitcher Zach Littell disrespected manager Gabe Kapler when he approached the mound to take him out of the game, the club has made a roster decision on the veteran hurler. Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic has the details.
RHP Zach Littell, who apologized for his apparent insubordination last night, has been optioned to Sacramento. LHP Thomas Szapucki is on the roster.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) September 13, 2022
The Giants have optioned Zach Littell to the team's Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats. In a corresponding move, the club called up left-handed pitcher Thomas Szapucki.
It's not particularly surprising to see the Giants make this move, given the way Littell handled himself during Monday's win over the Atlanta Braves.
Littell entered the game in the eighth inning in relief of starter Alex Cobb, with the Giants holding onto a 3-0 lead. The 26-year-old righty promptly loaded the bases before surrendering a two-run single to Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Looking to protect the lead, Kapler made a pitching change. But when he walked up to the mound to inform Littell of his decision, the reliever appeared to say something to his manager, who glared at him as he made the walk back to the dugout.
Zack Littell chirped at his manager and Gabe Kapler invited him for a chat in the tunnel 😯 @NBCSGiants pic.twitter.com/7Jcni8Gpvc
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) September 13, 2022
Once Kapler arrived back in the dugout, he escorted Littell to the tunnel for a chat. Now, Littell has been optioned. The Burlington, North Carolina native struggled in 39 games played for the Giants this year, pitching to a 5.08 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 44 1/3 innings pitched.
The Giants will say that this move had nothing to do with Zach Littell's apparent insubordination towards Gabe Kapler. But it's hard to not think it was a direct response to his actions.
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