7:15pm: Williamson will get the call, Pavlovic tweets. The well-regarded 25-year-old corner outfielder struggled in a late-season call-up last year but is off to a strong start at Triple-A.
6:14pm: Giants infielder Ehire Adrianza has been diagnosed with a fractured left foot, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports on Twitter. He’s expected to miss at least six weeks of action and will obviously require a DL stint.
San Francisco has dealt with a few injury issues in the early going, and Adrianza will join reliever Sergio Romo on the shelf for reasonably significant stretches of time. The 26-year-old reserve was off to a nice start in limited action, though obviously he functions as a utilityman behind a highly-talented starting infield unit. Over parts of four seasons of MLB action, Adrianza owns a .214/.293/.311 slash in just 272 plate appearances, but obviously he’s valued more for his glove than his bat.
Up-the-middle Giants regulars Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik are both dealing with seemingly-minor hip issues, and there doesn’t appear to be much cause for concern so long as they can manage those matters with a bit of rest. The loss of Adrianza certainly complicates things, but Kelby Tomlinson remains on hand and is capable of playing short, second, or third.
Fill-in possibilities include minor league free agents Grant Green, Conor Gillaspie, Ramiro Pena, and Hak-Ju Lee, with the latter two representing more versatile defensive options, but each of those players would require a 40-man roster spot. Top prospect Christian Arroyo is a theoretical candidate as well, but calling him up would mean putting him on the 40-man and starting his service clock, and the 20-year-old has only just reached the Double-A level for the first time this season. Alternatively, the Giants could add another arm or go with a 40-man outfielder such as Mac Williamson or Jarrett Parker, which Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests is the likelier outcome. (Twitter link.)
The importance of replacing a player on the 25, outweighs the value of a 40 spot. They will do what needs doing.