Bour announced his retirement from baseball Friday.
Bour hadn't played in the majors since 2019, seeing time in the minors, Japan, Korea and Mexico since then. He had a fine six-year run in the big leagues, though, finishing with a career .794 OPS and three 20-homer seasons.
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Justin Bour: Finds work in Korea
Rotowire
Bour signed a one-year, $350,000 deal with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization on Tuesday, Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency reports.
Bour, who signed a minor-league deal with the Giants this offseason, slashed .213/.346/.426 with six home runs across 130 plate appearances at Triple-A Sacramento before the organization released him over the weekend. The 33-year-old didn't take long to find a more lucrative opportunity overseas, where he'll remain for the rest of the season. Bour will be making his second appearance in a foreign league after he spent the 2020 campaign in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball with the Hanshin Tigers.
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Justin Bour: Released by Giants
Rotowire
The Giants released Bour from Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday.
Bour hit .213 with six home runs and 17 RBI in 108 at-bats with the Triple-A squad this season. The 33-year-old last appeared in the big leagues in 2019, when he hit .172 and slugged eight homers with the Angels. Bour is now four years removed from his best season, when as a Marlin in 2017 he posted career highs in both batting average (.289) and home runs (25).
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Giants' Justin Bour: Headed to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Bour did not make the Giants' Opening Day roster and will head to minor-league camp as expected, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.
After spending 2020 in Japan, Bour was not a part of big-league spring training. He'll serve as organizational depth at first base. The 32-year-old shouldn't be expected to see much time in the majors this year.
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Giants' Justin Bour: Signs minors deal with Giants
Rotowire
Bour signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Friday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.
The 32-year-old spent the 2020 campaign in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers and had a .245/.344/.424 slash line with 17 homers in 102 games. Even with starting first baseman Brandon Belt (heel) limited to open camp, Bour won't be invited to major-league spring training and will report to minor-league camp April 1, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
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Justin Bour: Heading to Japan
Rotowire
Bour signed a contract to play for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan on Thursday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Bour struggled at the plate last season with just a .172/.259/.364 slash line, so it was unlikely that he would gain a spot on a major-league roster in 2020. The 31-year-old will get a chance to work in Japan, though it wouldn't be out of the question to see him return to the United States at some point if he can rediscover his potential.
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Justin Bour: Elects free agency
Rotowire
Bour elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.
Bour endured a tough time in 2019, hitting just .172/.259/.364 with eight homers in 52 games. The 31-year-old has a solid .253/.337/.457 career slash line and could likely still play a role as at least a platoon option next season, but his poor 2019 campaign may require him to take a minor-league deal this winter.
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Angels' Justin Bour: Called up from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Angels recalled Bour from Triple-A Salt Lake ahead of Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Red Sox. He struck out as a pinch hitter in his lone plate appearance.
Bour has crushed Triple-A pitching to the tune of a 1.104 OPS, but he was only playing in the Pacific Coast League in the first place because he mustered a .183/.269/.387 through 160 plate appearances with the Angels prior to being called up. Unless the Angels decide to shut down Albert Pujols and/or Shohei Ohtani at some point in September, Bour probably won't get many opportunities to improve upon his ugly season-long line.
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Angels' Justin Bour: Sent to minors
Rotowire
Bour was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Bour will head back to the minors to free up a roster spot for Luke Bard, who was summoned from the minors in a corresponding move. The slugger showed some improvements at the plate during his most recent stint with the big club (.227/.271/.545 in 15 games), though he's still slashing just .183/.269/.387 on the season (160 plate appearances).
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Angels' Justin Bour: Retreats to bench
Rotowire
Bour is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Bour had started three of the past four games at first base but failed to record a hit in 12 at-bats. Albert Pujols recently overcame a minor undisclosed injury and looks on track to handle the bulk of the starts at first base now that he's ostensibly healthy again.
Bour went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in a win over the Reds on Wednesday.
Bour hit a fastball for a solo home run in the fifth inning and added a three-run shot in the eighth inning for his first mult-home run game of the season. Since coming back from Triple-A, Bour has four home runs in 24 plate appearances. Overall, Bour has a .190/.272/.430 slash line this season.
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Angels' Justin Bour: Homers for second straight day
Rotowire
Bour went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in a 5-3 win over the Rays on Saturday.
Bour homered for the second straight day since his recall from the minors, and he provided the Angels with a 4-0 lead with his opposite-field shot off Charlie Morton. He now has six homers on the season, and the Angels are hoping he can improve upon his .170/.267/.368 slash line.
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Angels' Justin Bour: Homers in return to majors
Rotowire
Bour went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in a win over the Dodgers on Tuesday.
After an 18-game stint in the minors, Bour returned to the big leagues with a bang, launching a three-run shot to center field in the first inning. The blast would prove to be Bour's only hit of the game, and his pair of strikeouts suggest that he may not have eliminated his early-season struggles just yet. Though Bour has hit five homers in 102 at-bats, he has also whiffed 33 times and is batting a meager .167.
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Angels' Justin Bour: Rejoins Angels
Rotowire
Bour was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.
Bour was sent to Triple-A in mid-May after posting a .584 OPS through 30 games, but he's appeared to find his stroke in the minors with a .292/.400/.611 slash line. The 31-year-old will start at first base and bat fifth in his return to the majors.
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Angels' Justin Bour: Banished to Triple-A
Rotowire
Bour was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake after Tuesday's loss to the Twins, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Bour started just two of seven games after Shohei Ohtani (elbow) returned from the injured list, and his .163/.268/.316 slash line and lack of defensive versatility made him an unappealing bench option. Albert Pujols and Ohtani should continue to handle the everyday duties at first base and designated hitter for the Angels, respectively.
Bour is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Tigers.
Bour will stick on the bench for a second consecutive game with another lefty in Matthew Boyd toeing the rubber for the Tigers. With southpaw Ryan Carpenter slated to start for Detroit on Thursday, Bour may be stuck on the bench until Friday. Albert Pujols is starting at first base and hitting fifth.
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Angels' Justin Bour: Out for third straight game
Rotowire
Bour is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.
The Angels are opposing a left-handed starter (Ryan Carpenter) for the third straight day, relegating Bour to the bench once again. It's clear at this point that Shohei Ohtani and Albert Pujols will serve as the team's designated hitter and first baseman, respectively, versus left-handed pitching, but it's less certain if Bour will find himself in the large side of a platoon with Pujols now that Ohtani is back from the 10-day injured list. Bour has historically crushed right-handed pitching, but he's hitting just .153/.238/.306 (50 wRC+) in those matchups in 2019. Pujols, meanwhile, sports a .197/.297/.342 (77 wRC+) line versus righties.
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Angels' Justin Bour: Sits against southpaw
Rotowire
Bour is not starting Tuesday against lefty Daniel Norris and the Tigers.
Shohei Ohtani's (elbow) return from the injured list pushes Albert Pujols into a platoon with Bour at first base. Bour could get the majority of the starts as the lefty in that pairing, but with three straight southpaws on tap this series, he may be stuck on the bench until Friday.
