Giants roster: Jaylin Davis, Joe McCarthy make team.
LOS ANGELES — Jaylin Davis and Joe McCarthy are in and Steven Duggar is out — sort of. Joey Bart is out, Yolmer Sanchez and Chadwick Tromp are hurt, and a pitcher named Caleb Baragar, who was not in summer camp when it began, was in uniform for Thursday night’s opener against the Dodgers.
The 30man roster the Giants announced reflects a rebuilding team designed to maximize matchups, to the benefit of some players who have toiled in the minors for years.
The Giants carried two catchers into Dodger Stadium, switchhitter Tyler Heineman and lefthandedhitting Rob Brantly. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said he continues to look for an experienced catcher from outside the organization.
That catcher, if signed or acquired in trade, could join the team as one of three players who did not make the 30man roster but can be carried as a taxi squad. Thursday, that group included Duggar and pitcher Andrew Suarez.
The Giants will carry 16 pitchers. Among them are two Colorado castoffs, lefthanded starter Tyler Anderson and righthanded reliever Rico Garcia, whose stuff was praised throughout summer camp.
Also among the 16 is Rule 5 draftee Dany Jimenez, a fastballcurveball righthander who had to make the team or be offered back to the Blue Jays, and one pitcher whom the Giants figured they would lose in the Rule 5 but was not taken — much to their relief.
That is Baragar, a 26yearold ninthround draft pick from 2016 who had a 3.45 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) for DoubleA Richmond last season and impressed the honchos with his stuff and strikezone aggressiveness. He was added to summer camp late after two pitchers were lost to positive coronavirus tests.
“It was a pretty easy decision to put him on our team,” Zaidi said, “a guy who improved over the course of last season, was up in Sacramento at the end of the year for the playoffs and pitched great in the TripleA championship game. We were really glad we were able to hold onto him, and we kept track of his progress even though he wasn’t with us for the early part of the camp.”
Six players who were not on the 40man roster made the team: Baragar, Brantly, Heineman, Garcia, Darin Ruf and Pablo Sandoval. The Giants needed to open two spots and designated for assignment outfielder Jose Siri and infielder Kean Wong.
Ruf hit 86 homers over three seasons in Korea before getting a minorleague contract and invitation to spring training in February.
Speaking on KNBR, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Ruf was behind other invitees on the initial depth chart, but a dominating performance in Cactus League games moved him toward the top.
“I think he’s going to be a meaningful part of our roster this year,” Kapler said, particularly against lefthanded pitchers. Ruf, 33, can play first base and the outfield.
Two players who might have made the roster — Sanchez, an infielder, and Tromp, a catcher — got hurt in the exhibitions against the A’s. Sanchez had a tight back and Tromp a hamstring injury.
Neither was put on the injured list in the hope that they will recover quickly. They are technically part of the alternate camp that soon will begin working out in Sacramento.
Sanchez was expected to be an integral part of the infield rotation because he can switchhit and won a Gold Glove last year with the White Sox.
“Given that he’s going to be out at least a few days,” Zaidi said, “we anticipate him being in Sacramento getting some reps there and showing he can get through backtoback games and go through, not necessarily a full rehab schedule, but play enough to demonstrate his health.”
As expected, first baseman Brandon Belt and third baseman Evan Longoria were placed on the 10day injured list retroactive to July 20.