8 Hunter Pence DH

Pence announced his retirement on his personal Twitter feed Saturday.

Pence was granted his unconditional release by the Giants in late August, and he'll elect to hang up his cleats ahead of the 2020 offseason. Over his 14-year career, the four-time All-Star had a .794 OPS with 244 home runs, 942 RBI and 891 runs with the Astros, Phillies, Giants and Rangers. The 37-year-old won the World Series with San Francisco in 2012 and 2014.

Pence was placed on unconditional release waivers by the Giants on Monday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Pence was designated for assignment Sunday, but it appears as though he won't remain in the Giants' organization moving forward. The 37-year-old hasn't ruled out playing, but it's unclear whether he'll find another major-league opportunity after hitting .096 with two home runs and six RBI over 52 at-bats to begin the season.

Pence was designated for assignment by the Giants on Sunday.

Pence is 1-for-18 over his past five games and has a .411 OPS for the season, so San Francisco opted to remove him from the 40-man roster. The 37-year-old had 18 homers and a .910 OPS in 83 games for the Rangers last season, but he never looked like that player for the Giants in 2020.

Pence isn't in the lineup Monday against the Angels.

Pence will take a seat for the second consecutive game as he's swung a cold bat to begin the season. Over his past three contests, the 37-year-old has gone 1-for-13 with a home run, three RBI and four strikeouts. Mike Yastrzemski will shift to right field with Mauricio Dubon starting as the center fielder.

Pence went 2-for-2 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's win over the Astros.

Pence entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning with two outs, and he blasted a three-run shot to right field that brought the Giants closer to just one run. This was Pence's first homer of the season and might be the confidence booster that he was looking for, as the veteran outfielder started the 2020 campaign in a 2-for-32 slump prior to Tuesday's contest.

Pence will sit for the third straight game Wednesday against the Rockies, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Despite hitting .297/.358/.552 last season, Pence may be little more than a short-side platoon option for the Giants this year, with his 1-for-26 start at the plate certainly not helping his case for more at-bats. Pence has started against all four lefties the Giants have faced this season, but he's been in the lineup against just two out of nine righties. Pablo Sandoval will be the designated hitter Wednesday.

Pence isn't in the lineup Tuesday against the Rockies.

Now that the Giants have more healthy options in the field, Pence has increased competition as the designated hitter. With Pence sitting in his second consecutive game, Pablo Sandoval is starting as the designated hitter, batting fifth.

Pence isn't in the lineup Monday against the Rockies.

Pence recorded his first hit of the season Sunday with a triple against the Rangers. However, Wilmer Flores will serve as the designated hitter Monday, batting sixth.

Pence isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers.

Pence has served as the primary designated hitter to begin the season but has gone hitless with six strikeouts over 21 at-bats. In his absence, Pablo Sandoval will take over as the designated hitter and bat sixth Saturday.

Pence isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres.

Pence remains hitless in his first 17 at-bats of the season and he'll sit for Thursday's series finale against the Padres. Pablo Sandoval will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth.

Pence isn't in the lineup Tuesday against the Padres.

Pence has gone hitless with two strikeouts over his three starts this season and he'll retreat to the bench in Tuesday's contest. Alex Dickerson will take over as the designated hitter with Joe McCarthy starting in left field, batting eighth.

Pence (foot) went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Dodgers.

Pence was also hit by a pitch in the contest. The 37-year-old outfielder served as the designated hitter Saturday and may continue to do so while working his way back from foot inflammation that arose during summer camp.

Pence (foot) is in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Pence dealt with foot inflammation during camp that has limited his ability to run and play the field, but he'll join the Giants' lineup as the designated hitter Saturday. He'll bat fifth after missing Friday's game. It's unclear when the 37-year-old will be able to return to a fielding role.

Pence (foot) did some gentle running Wednesday but isn't playing the field yet, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Pence has been participating in intrasquad games as the designated hitter, and he was able to do some light running Wednesday as he continues to deal with inflammation in his foot. It's unclear whether he'll be ready to play the field by Opening Day on July 23, but he could still be available to play now that the Giants will be able to use a DH every day.

Pence (foot) had an MRI on Friday that revealed inflammation in his foot, Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Pence was dealing with foot soreness late in the week but felt better Friday. However, he still underwent an MRI that revealed inflammation. The outfielder isn't expected to resume running over the weekend but will continue to work on his hitting. The 37-year-old is a leading candidate to serve as the Giants' designated hitter if he's healthy once the regular season begins.

Pence (foot) is hitting but still hasn't resumed running or fielding as of Friday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Pence has been limited over the past several days while dealing with foot soreness, and he's yet to resume full activities. The 37-year-old has been able to hit while recovering, but he hasn't yet been able to run or play the field.

Pence is managing some foot soreness and didn't take part in running on the field Wednesday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Manager Gabe Kapler said it was a precautionary measure and expects the 37-year-old to resume running in the near future. Pence is a likely beneficiary of the universal designated hitter, especially since he missed significant time over the past two seasons.

Pence went 5-for-14 with one double and one home run over five Cactus League games prior to the suspension of spring training.

Pence rediscovered his All-Star form in 2019 with a .297/.358/.552 slash line and 18 home runs for the Rangers, but he appeared in only 83 games and missed the final five weeks with a back injury. The 36-year-old returned to San Francisco on a one-year, major-league deal and may not fill a full-time role once play resumes, though he should see regular opportunities.

Pence signed a one-year, major-league deal with Giants on Friday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It was previously known that Pence had signed with the Giants, though this news clarifies that he will be on the major-league roster to begin the season. He had a resurgent 2019 campaign, during which he hit .297/.358/.552 across 83 games with the Rangers. Heading into his age-37 season, it's unlikely Pence will have a full-time role. However, he should have plenty of chances to fill in around the outfield, with the team's three projected starters all being left-handed.

Pence signed with the Giants on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.'

The terms of the deal are not yet clear. Pence won a pair of pennants with the team in the first half of last decade but slipped to two poor seasons in 2017 and 2018. A swing change spurred a surprising bounceback with the Rangers in 2019, where he hit .297/.358/.552 with 18 homers in 83 games. Injuries were an issue and are unlikely to go away completely in his age-37 season, but Pence is nevertheless a good bet to be at least a solid contributor in a part-time role when available.