San Francisco Giants Second Cuts Make Roster Almost Set
The San Francisco Giants have made their second wave of cuts, and their opening day roster is nearly set with just 31 guys left in camp.
The San Francisco Giants made their second round of cuts on Monday, and it was a big round. 15 players were optioned or reassigned, leaving the Giants with just 31 players left on the big league camp roster with a week-and-a-half to go in Spring Training.
Five players were optioned: right-handed pitchers Tyler Beede, Roberto Gomez, and Derek Law, and outfielders Mac Williamson and Austin Slater were sent down.
10 players were reassigned to minor league camp: catchers Hector Sanchez, Trevor Brown, and Justin O’Conner, infielders Chase d’Arnaud, Orlando Calixte, and Kyle Jensen, outfielder Chris Shaw, right-handed pitchers Joan Gregorio and Jose Valdez, and left-hander Andrew Suarez.
Players who were optioned were done so because they’re on the 40-man roster, while reassigned players are non-roster guys.
This big wave of cuts brings with it plenty of clarity as to what the opening day roster will look like. While some battles still remain and will need to be settled in the final few games, the participants in those roster battles have been whittled down.
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The Giants’ pitching staff is down to 14 players, with one of those (Will Smith) starting the season on the disabled list. That leaves it down to Ty Blach, Derek Holland, and Rule 5 draft pick Julian Fernandez. Blach or Holland figure to start the season in the rotation, with the remaining of those two pitchers moving to the bullpen to act as the long reliever/swingman. If the Giants do want to keep Fernandez and a longman, Josh Osich is a pitcher who still has minor league options, but Osich has also been lights out this spring.
They also cut down to four players vying for two spots as backup infielders. Kelby Tomlinson and Pablo Sandoval are still the favorites to take those jobs, but Josh Rutledge and Andres Blanco are still in camp as well. Rutledge has played very well in recent Spring game, while Blanco has been limited to eight games during the Cactus League because of an early injury.
The outfield remains one of the more interesting battles left to settle. With Williamson, Shaw, and Slater all sent out, that leaves four guys left competing for two backup jobs. Chief among them is top prospect Steven Duggar, who has shown great range and a strong approach at the plate all Spring. The Giants wouldn’t keep Duggar to be a backup, however, as they want him to be an everyday (or almost everyday) player.
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Gorkys Hernandez and Gregor Blanco remain as the top candidates to serve as backup center fielders. Jarrett Parker is also still in camp, having played much better as of late after a very slow start. The Giants would need to make room for Blanco on the 40-man roster, and Parker and Hernandez are out of options. The former problem could be solved by one of the latter two players come opening day.