San Francisco Giants Morning Minute: Potential Roster Expansion Call-Ups

On this edition of the San Francisco Giants Morning Minute, we discuss potential call-ups for when the rosters expand in September.

Good morning, San Francisco Giants’ fans, and welcome to another edition of the Giants Morning Minute. On Sunday, the Giants knocked off the Atlanta Braves, 13-4, to clinch their first second-half series win at home. Madison Bumgarner (13-8) was the winner, while Aaron Blair (0-6) suffered another loss.

The Los Angeles Dodgers also won on Sunday, beating the Chicago Cubs 1-0 to earn a series win. The Giants were unable to gain any ground, and Los Angeles’ lead in the NL West stays at two games. San Francisco did, however, put a little more distance between themselves and the St. Louis Cardinals in the wildcard race. The Cardinals’ loss sets them back 2.5 games of the Giants, and ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates by just one half game for the second wildcard spot.

The Giants are off on Monday, and will play a two-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday and Wednesday. After that short set, rosters will expand and reinforcements will arrive as the calendar turns to September. Just in time as well, as the Giants head to Wrigley Field for four games with baseball’s best team, the Chicago Cubs.

With that in mind, let’s look at some potential call-ups for that September 1st opening.

1 – The Bullpen

Bullpen help is always welcome during roster expansion, and will be even more critical for the Giants. Before Sunday’s game, the Giants placed Derek Law, a rookie who has proven to be the Giants’ most consistent reliever this season, on the disabled list with a balky elbow. They did get some good news, as an MRI on his surgically-repaired revealed no structural damage. However, they will still be without that key piece for two weeks, at least.

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Left-handers will be in abundance in the Giants’ bullpen. Josh Osich is eligible to come off the disabled list, but has been rehabbing (really, more working on his repertoire) with the Sacramento River Cats. It seems to be working so far, as Osich has allowed only one run in six innings, striking out eight compared to one walk.

Rookie Steven Okert will likely be recalled as well. He was with the Giants for a short time earlier in the year, appearing in six games in April and two in June. Veteran lefty Matt Reynolds appeared in two games for the Giants in late July, but his 40-man roster spot may not be secure. The Giants likely will need a spot for a player not currently on the 40-man, and Reynolds could be the victim.

Another, more far out name, is Ray Black. The 26-year-old righty is the owner of that majestic 103-mile per hour fastball, and has been pitching all year in Double-A with Richmond. Black’s command has been an issue his entire career. He’s allowed just 17 hits in 31.1 innings this season, but has walked 32 batters. The strikeouts are still very high, as he’s set down 53 on strikes (15.2 K/9).

2 – Starting Pitcher

The Giants will need a fifth starter in Chicago, but manager Bruce Bochy didn’t come out and say who it would be. Matt Cain, currently on the disabled list again, is an option. He made a rehab start on Saturday, which would put him in line to start in Chicago Friday, but it’s uncertain. Albert Suarez made a spot start on Saturday, and fizzled out rather quickly. There are more options in the minor leagues, as well.

The most viable minor league option at this point seems to be left-hander Ty Blach. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a tremendous season with the River Cats, posting a 3.43 ERA and 1.137 WHIP in 26 games. He has thrown 162.2 innings this year, and is three shy of setting a career-high. He does have a pitching style indicative of a pitcher that can eat up a lot of innings.

There’s also Joan Gregorio and Clayton Blackburn, both of whom are on the 40-man roster and in Sacramento. Gregorio, 24 years old,  dominated in five starts in Double-A to open the year (2.33 ERA, 0.778 WHIP, 10 K/9), but has struggled since a promotion (5.51 ERA, 1.495, 1.1 HR/9). Blackburn, 23 years old, hasn’t been able to replicate last year’s success in the PCL, with a 4.63 ERA and 1.317 WHIP.

3 – Bench Depth

Mac Williamson and Kelby Tomlinson will almost assuredly be among the earliest call-ups. If not for injuries, it’s probable that both of them are already in the big leagues. Tomlinson injured his thumb in early June, and stayed in the minor leagues after his rehab ended because he still had available options. He got off to a slow start with Sacramento, but is hitting .329 over his past 35 games with more walks (17) than strikeouts (14).

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Williamson hurt his shoulder in the final game of July, and despite optimistic initial reports, he is still battling soreness in that shoulder. The outfielder became one of the Giants’ biggest offensive threats, slashing .323/.432/.645 from the All-Star break until his injury. He’s begun to play more regularly on rehab, so he should be called up when it’s time.

Other than those two, there aren’t many options on the 40-man roster. Players like Ramiro Pena, Grant Green, and Ruben Tejada were all designated off the 40-man roster earlier this year, and will need to be put back on to be called up. Outfielder Gregor Blanco is also still on the disabled list, and will be eligible to return after the first week of September.

4 – Third Catcher

With the trade of Andrew Susac at the deadline, the Giants have just two catchers on the 40-man roster, Buster Posey and Trevor Brown. They would be almost insane to not add another catcher in September, but they’ll need to find a way to get him on the roster. The 40-man roster is full, and someone will have to be booted to make that extra spot (Reynolds? Kyle Crick?).

The two most likely options to be brought up are Miguel Olivo and Tony Sanchez. The 38-year-old Olivo is a veteran catcher with 13 years of big league experience, and has spent all year with the River Cats. Sanchez, now 28 years old, is a former top-100 prospect that played 51 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2013 to 2015. He signed with the Giants early in August after being released by the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Other catching options include Steven Lerud and Jeff Arnold. Lerud has played 55 games with the Richmond Flying Squirrels and appeared in nine games for the Philadelphia Phillies between 2012 and 2013. Arnold is in his seventh minor league season with the Giants, but has still not advanced past Double-A.