San Francisco Giants Continue Second-Half Roster Overhaul

With newcomers from trades and plenty of injured guys returning, the San Francisco Giants have made plenty of roster changes in the second half.

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The Giants had plenty of work to do to fit everyone on the roster. They didn’t need to make moves to put the guys on the 40-man roster, as they had 38 spots filled before the trade, and two more were opened up when Matt Duffy and Andrew Susac were traded. Adding newcomers Matt Moore and Will Smith, and transferring Ehire Adrianza from the 60-day disabled list to the 40-man roster, were all quite easy.

Getting those three on the 25-man roster, however, was a much stickier proposition. The first move announced was for Adrianza, who was activated from his rehab assignment. The Giants put outfielder Mac Williamson on the disabled list with a shoulder strain, an injury he suffered in Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals when he jammed it into the turf.

This move allows Williamson time to fully heal that shoulder, as he will likely be a big player for the Giants down the stretch, and also gives the team much-needed infield depth. With Eduardo Nunez taking over as everyday third baseman, that left the team short on a backup second baseman and shortstop, with Conor Gillaspie only playing the corner infield spots. Adrianza can play short, second, or third (and did play outfield in Spring Training), so the team re-fills the bench.

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To make room for the two new pitchers, the Giants optioned long reliever/spot starter Albert Suarez and left-handed reliever Matt Reynolds to Triple-A. Suarez has bounced around a lot with the Giants, from the rotation to the bullpen to the minor leagues and back again, but has been solid for San Francisco. Reynolds only appeared in two games for the Giants, but having another experienced left-handed pitcher coming out of the bullpen will be big when rosters expand.

Moore is moving into the rotation, and will start Thursday’s series finale against the Phillies, which was initially Jeff Samardzija‘s day. Samardzija will be pushed back to Friday. A spot will be open in the rotation as Jake Peavy will move into the bullpen, meaning Matt Cain is staying in the five-man rotation.

There was some controversy around what number Moore would wear, as he had worn number 55 through his entire Tampa Bay Rays’ career. Of course, the last Giant to wear that number was Tim Lincecum. But that number remains unused, as Moore will switch to 45 with the Giants. Before Moore, the last Giant to wear that number was Alejandro De Aza last season.

Smith is taking number 13, the number he wore during his two and a half seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. Adrianza was wearing 13 before his injury, but he is going back to wearing number 1, which he wore during the 2015 season. Adrianza has worn the numbers 53, 6, 1, 13, and back to 1 again, all in a four-year span.

Since the second half began in San Diego, the Giants’ 25-man roster has gone through a rather extreme makeover. A quick summary:

• 7/20: Matt Cain activated from DL; Ruben Tejada designated for assignment
• 7/28: Joe Panik activated from DL; Grant Green designated for assignment
• 7/28: Matt Reynolds’ contract purchased; Josh Osich to DL
• 7/29: Eduardo Nunez added to roster; Jarrett Parker optioned to AAA
• 7/30: Hunter Pence activated from DL; Ramiro Pena designated for assignment
• 8/2: Adrianza activated from DL; Williamson to DL
• 8/2: Moore added to roster; Suarez optioned to AAA
• 8/2: Smith added to roster; Reynolds optioned to AAA