San Francisco Giants About to Experience a Big Roster Squeeze
With a few players ready to return from injury, the San Francisco Giants are on the cusp of a major roster squeeze. After an earlier roster tightening cost Travis Ishikawa a chance at a major league job, this one will cost more players jobs.
On Sunday, Jake Peavy will make his final rehab start with the Sacramento River Cats. After that, the clock on his rehabilitation assignment will run out, and the Giants will have to make some moves.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
When Peavy is activated, it will have to come at the expense of another pitcher. The Giants are already carrying 13 pitchers instead of the traditional 12, and they can’t afford to shorten up an already short bench even more. So as much as Giants’ fans want the team to wash their hands of Casey McGehee, or see what Joaquin Arias could bring in from a trade, that’s just not the smart move right now.
Gregor Blanco is one tag on the helmet during a slide, or one outfield collision from those concussion symptoms returning. Nori Aoki‘s ankle injury will cause him to miss at least one game, and leaves the Giants with just three outfielders while he is unavailable. San Francisco needs all the bats they can have right now.
The most obvious move to get Peavy on the roster is sending reliever Michael Broadway back to Triple-A. Broadway and Hunter Strickland are the only bullpen pitchers with minor league options, and Strickland has been ridiculously good this year. It’s unlikely he’s going anywhere.
More from San Francisco Giants
- Thank you SF Giants for a fun, wild, surprising 2020 season
- SF Giants lose in heartbreaking fashion and miss 2020 MLB playoffs
- SF Giants: Mike Yastrzemski named 2020 Willie Mac Award recipient
- SF Giants: Chadwick Tromp placed on IL with shoulder strain
- SF Giants: Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners postponed
Getting Peavy onto the roster is one task, but getting him into the starting rotation is another entirely. Madison Bumgarner is locked into his spot, but behind him, there are four question marks. Tim Hudson, Ryan Vogelsong, and Tim Lincecum all fit into the same general category: a veteran who isn’t getting any younger, and has been wildly inconsistent.
Vogelsong had an outstanding May, but has been roughed up in June. Lincecum got off to a roaring start, but seems to have fallen back into old habits of late. Hudson has been the most inconsistent of the bunch, seemingly unable to put together a string a solid starts.
These three haven’t made the decision any easier with their most recent starts. Vogelsong shut out the Seattle Mariners over 6.2 innings to show that he’s still got some fight left in him. Lincecum ended the team’s nine-game losing streak at AT&T Park with 5.2 innings of two-run ball, also against the Mariners. Hudson allowed a pair of runs, both from solo home runs, in 6.1 innings to lead San Francisco to their ninth win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in 11 games. Lincecum will have another “audition” on Sunday when he faces the Dodgers looking for a sweep.
Chris Heston has shown flashes of brilliance, most notably, the no-hitter against the New York Mets, but he’s also been very inconsistent over the past two months. He’s the only Giants’ starter with minor league options, but it’ll be very hard to send him back down with how much he’s given the team so far.
In other words, there’s no clearcut loser in this race. Manager Bruce Bochy will have a very tough decision to make when the time comes. But that’s why they pay him the big bucks.
And as if this decision isn’t difficult enough to make once, the Giants will have to do it again, and soon. Matt Cain pitched in another rehab start on Saturday for Sacramento, and was very good. In 6.2 innings, he allowed five hits and two runs, while striking out six with no walks. He threw 89 pitches, 59 for strikes, and appears to be very close to being able to rejoin the big league club.
When Cain is ready, that will cause another one of these head scratchers that the Giants will have to deal with. They would obviously want Cain to be in the rotation, but they’d have to make room.
Even Jean Machi is close to returning. In four innings for Sacramento for rehab, Machi hasn’t allowed a run, with just two hits, a walk, and five strikeouts. Fitting Machi into a bullpen that has performed quite well this year will be hard to do. It’s entirely possible that the team designates Machi and just works with what they have now. Time will tell for his case as well.
As the Giants prepare to head into the heat of the summer, the heat is on for everyone on the roster. There are more than a handful of guys who are pitching for their jobs right now. Everyone has to be on their toes as they walk the tightrope. Tough decisions are on the way, and don’t be surprised if the move is surprising.