Littell signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Thursday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.
Littell will be in big-league camp as a non-roster invitee. The 27-year-old was highly effective out of the Giants' bullpen in 2021 before stumbling to a 5.08 ERA in 2022. He should have a decent chance to win a middle-relief role in Texas.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Loses spot on 40-man roster
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Littell was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday.
Littell was sent down in mid-September and will lose his spot on the team's 40-man roster now that the offseason has begun. It's possible that he serves as a non-roster invitee this spring.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Littell was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday.
After giving up two earned runs over two-thirds of an inning and being visibly upset when he was pulled from Monday's victory over Atlanta, Littell is headed for the minor leagues. Thomas Szapucki was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Picks up third win
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Littell (3-3) earned the win Sunday over the Cubs, allowed two hits and striking out two over 1.2 scoreless innings without walking a batter.
Littell was in the game when Thairo Estrada's solo home run in the seventh inning put the Giants ahead. Through five outings in September, Littell's allowed four runs in five innings, though those all came in one outing against the Dodgers on Wednesday. The right-hander has posted a 4.74 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 39:12 K:BB through 43.2 innings overall in a low-leverage role.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Handed loss Wednesday
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Littell (2-3) allowed four runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 1.1 innings, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Dodgers.
Littell gave up the go-ahead run on an RBI double to Trea Turner, then yielded a three-run home run to Max Muncy. Littell hadn't given up more than one run in any of his previous nine appearances since returning from an oblique injury in August. The ugly outing Wednesday lifted his season ERA to 5.01 with a 1.33 WHIP, 36:12 K:BB, one save and four holds through 41.1 innings.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Grabs win Saturday
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Littell (2-2) earned the win Saturday over the Phillies, retiring the only batter he faced in the contest.
Littell was in the right place at the right time for the win. Scott Alexander allowed the Phillies to tie the score in the sixth inning, but Littell stranded Jean Segura on second base and the Giants retook the lead in their half of the frame. Since returning from an oblique injury, Littell has given up two runs across 8.2 innings through eight appearances, adding one save and one hold in that span. He's posted a 4.38 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 34:10 K:BB through 39 innings overall, mainly serving in a middle-relief role.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Picks up first save
Rotowire
Littell pitched a perfect 11th inning to earn the save in Sunday's 9-8 win over the Rockies.
Littell was the seventh reliever the Giants deployed in this contest, and he was able to lock things down after Wilmer Flores' sacrifice fly put them ahead in the top of the 11th. Littell has covered three scoreless innings in two appearances since returning from an oblique injury Wednesday. He has a 4.59 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 30:8 K:BB across 33.1 innings this year, though he's added only one save and three holds as more of a low-leverage reliever. As such, he shouldn't be considered likely to see many additional save chances.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Reinstated from 15-day IL
Rotowire
Littell (oblique) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Littell sustained a left oblique strain in early July and spent just over a month on the injured list, but he was in the minors on a rehab assignment for two and a half weeks. The right-hander posted a 4.05 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 6.2 innings over seven rehab appearances and will rejoin the Giants' bullpen ahead of Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Rehab moves to Triple-A
Rotowire
Littell's (oblique) rehab assignment was transferred from Single-A San Jose to Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday.
Across those two levels of the minors, Littell has allowed three hits and a walk while striking out three in four scoreless innings through four rehab appearances. Given the results so far, the right-hander doesn't seem too far away from rejoining the Giants.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Rehab assignment on tap
Rotowire
Littell (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A San Jose on Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Littell has been on the injured list since early July due to his left oblique strain but is closing in on a return. It's not yet clear how many rehab appearances the right-hander will require before he's able to rejoin the Giants' bullpen, but it's possible that he'll be activated as early as next week.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Out with strained oblique
Rotowire
Littell landed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left oblique strain, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Littell was recalled Thursday and walked four batters in 1.1 innings of relief against the Padres the next day. Those command issues now look like they were injury-related. It's not yet clear how much time he's expected to miss.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Returns to San Francisco
Rotowire
Littell was recalled by the Giants on Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Jose Alvarez (elbow) was placed on the injured list, creating a need in the bullpen. Littell will fill that void, and he's managed a 4.97 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 25:3 K:BB across 29 innings with the Giants on the season.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Littell was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Littell pitched Thursday against Atlanta and allowed one run over three innings, and he'll head to the minors in favor of a fresh bullpen arm. The 26-year-old has a 4.97 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 25:3 K:BB across 29 major-league innings this season.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Scoreless streak ends
Rotowire
Littell allowed two runs on a hit and a hit batter in one inning during Tuesday's 12-10 win over Atlanta.
Littell hit Michael Harris with a pitch and then surrendered a two-run home run to Ronald Acuna in the fourth inning. That briefly gave Atlanta the lead, but San Francisco pulled ahead in the sixth and held on from there to spare Littell a loss. He's given up four runs in his last 10.1 innings, and he's still looking a little shaky with a 5.19 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 22:3 K:BB across 26 innings overall. The right-hander has added a 1-2 record and three holds, but with six homers allowed, he'll need to work on keeping the ball in the yard to find more success.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Handed loss Tuesday
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Littell (1-2) allowed two runs on two hits in one-third of an inning, taking the loss Tuesday versus the Rockies.
Littell allowed consecutive singles to Jose Iglesias and Randal Grichuk before getting an out. Charlie Blackmon then entered as a pinch hitter for the Rockies, and manager Gabe Kapler responded with Jose Alvarez, who promptly allowed both inherited runners from Littell to score on a home run. Prior to Tuesday, the right-hander had pitched 5.2 scoreless innings in his last four appearances. He's now at a 5.40 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 19:2 K:BB in 21.2 innings overall.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Credited with win
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Littell (1-1) earned the win Friday over the Marlins. He allowed a hit and struck out four in two innings.
The Giants went with a bullpen game Friday, but their offense established a large lead early. Littell pitched the fifth and sixth innings in this contest. He's gone 5.2 innings without allowing a run over his last four appearances as he continues to bounce back from a rough May. Overall, the right-hander has a 4.64 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 19:2 K:BB through 21.1 innings in a versatile middle-innings role.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Throws clean inning
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Littell pitched a perfect inning in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Mets.
Littell has struggled for much of May. He's allowed 11 runs on 18 hits and two walks across 10.2 innings in his nine appearances this month after keeping runs off the board in all six of his April outings. The right-hander's struggles have left him with a 5.94 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB across 16.2 innings. He's added two holds and an 0-1 record, but he's seen mostly low-leverage work lately.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Suffers loss in return
Rotowire
Littell (0-1) was tagged with the loss against St. Louis on Thursday, pitching two innings and allowing one run on two hits while striking out three.
Littell missed over a week while on the COVID-19 injured list, but he was activated Thursday and immediately thrust into action in a bullpen game for the Giants. The right-hander was the second pitcher to appear for San Francisco, and he was the only hurler on the team to complete two full innings. Littell looked good by throwing 26 of 36 pitches for strikes and fanning three, but a Yadier Molina solo homer in the third inning was enough to have him tagged with the loss. The run was the first allowed by Littell in seven appearances this season.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Reinstated from COVID-19 list
Rotowire
Littell (illness) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Littell landed on the injured list April 26 and reportedly experienced mild symptoms. Prior to being sidelined, he had not allowed an earned run across six innings while striking out five and walking none in a relief role.
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Giants' Zack Littell: Tests positive for COVID-19
Rotowire
Littell was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday after testing positive for the virus, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Littell officially landed on the shelf without an injury designation prior to Tuesday's win over the A's, but manager Gabe Kapler clarified the right-hander's outlook after the contest. The 26-year-old is experiencing mild symptoms and will remain away from the team until he clears MLB's testing protocols.
