Giants cut Shaw, 2 others, add 4 prospects to roster
The Giants trimmed three players from their 40man roster Friday, including power hitter Chris Shaw, to bring aboard four prospects and shield them from next month’s Rule 5 draft.
Shaw, catcher Aramis Garcia and pitcher Jordan Humphreys were designated for assignment to clear room for four minorleaguers, including Alexander Canario, the Giants’ top outfield prospect behind Heliot Ramos and Hunter Bishop.
Shaw, 27, a first basemanoutfielder, had a productive 2019 minorleague season, hitting a combined .294 with 28 homers and a .360 onbase percentage in DoubleA and TripleA. He hasn’t produced in his brief bigleague opportunities, hitting .153 with one homer in 38 games in 2018 and 2019.
Getting cut loose could enable Shaw, the 31st overall draft pick in 2015, to pursue a change of scenery and join another club. His value to the Giants was made clear when he was left off the roster at the start of summer camp.
Garcia, a secondrounder in 2014, had hip surgery in February and could possibly be resigned to a minorleague contract. Humphreys was acquired in the August trade that sent Billy Hamilton to the Mets.
Friday was the deadline for teams to add players to the 40man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft to be held on the final day of the winter meetings on Dec. 10. A player selected in the draft must stay on his new team’s active roster for the entire 2021 season or be offered back to his former team.
Canario won’t be ready for the start of the minorleague season following shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. He dislocated the shoulder in instructional league.
The three other players added to the 40man roster were pitchers Camilo Doval, Gregory Santos and Kervin Castro.
The hardthrowing Doval was on the taxi squad late in the season and figures to be part of the Giants’ 2021 plans. Santos was acquired in the 2017 trade that sent Eduardo Nuñez to the Red Sox. Castro has the least pro experience among the three, never pitching beyond lowA ball.
The Giants have a full complement of players on the 40man roster.