The Giants announced a huge slate of transactions Thursday as they set their Opening Day roster. Shortstop prospect Marco Luciano and outfield prospect Luis Matos were optioned to Triple-A Sacramento to begin the season. San Francisco selected the contract of veteran shortstop Nick Ahmed and right-hander Landen Roupp, who’ll both make the Opening Day roster. The Giants also recalled lefty Erik Miller from Triple-A, placed righties Sean Hjelle and Alex Cobb on the 15-day IL (as expected), designated catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel for assignment, placed lefty Ethan Small on the 60-day injured list and released infielder Pablo Sandoval. Out of options catcher Joey Bart made the roster.
Luciano, 22, is widely considered to be among the game’s top 100 prospects. He made a brief MLB debut last year and was in competition for the Opening Day roster nod throughout the entirety of camp, but the Giants will defer to the veteran Ahmed as their Opening Day shortstop.
Luciano heated up toward the end of camp, perhaps making the decision a bit tougher, but he finished with a .227/.364/.432 slash and a 34.5% strikeout rate in 55 plate appearances. Those strikeout troubles have been an issue for some time; Luciano fanned in 29.8% of his Double-A plate appearances last year and 35.9% of his Triple-A plate appearances. He’ll head back to the upper minors to continue to work on that area of his game.
In his place, the Giants will turn to longtime division foe Ahmed, who’s spent his entire 10-year career with the Diamondbacks. Ahmed, who’s won a pair of Gold Gloves in his career, has always been a defensive-minded shortstop. He’s long ranked as one of the premium defenders in the game, regardless of position. However, his already modest offensive production has taken a stark downturn over the past two seasons due to a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery.
Ahmed has looked sharp this spring, however, turning in a .355/.459/.645 slash with a pair of homers in a small sample of 37 plate appearances. The Giants bid adieu to their own longtime premier defensive shortstop, Brandon Crawford, this offseason. (Were it not for Crawford, Ahmed may have a few more Gold Gloves on his mantle.) Ahmed will bring a similar skill set to the table, though he’s three years younger. And, since he doesn’t have such a storied history with the franchise, it’ll be easier to cut him loose or significantly reduce his playing time if he struggles and/or if Luciano forces the issue with a big Triple-A performance.
Roupp, 25, was San Francisco’s 12th-round pick in the 2021 draft. He posted a 1.74 ERA and fanned more than a third of his opponents in 31 Double-A frames last season and will jump straight from that level to the big leagues. He earned that promotion with a huge spring showing, holding opponents to a pair of runs on two hits and four walks with 13 punchouts in eight innings.
Hummel, 29, is a career .166/.264/.286 hitter in 227 plate appearances at the big league level. He carries a far more impressive Triple-A track record, including a .262/.409/.435 batting line and a massive 18% walk rate there last year. He bounced from the Mariners, to the Mets, to the Giants via the DFA circuit this winter. Hummel still has a minor league option remaining, and the Giants will have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.
Sandoval, 37, singled in his final at-bat of Giants spring training earlier this week. That game was played at Oracle Park, giving “Kung Fu Panda” the opportunity to suit up (at least) one more time in front of the Giants fans who revered him for his peak run as a middle-of-the-order slugger for the Giants even-year dynasty that saw them bring home World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. An emotional Sandoval said after the game what a special experience it was to take the field and be embraced by the San Francisco faithful one more time. Whether he continues his playing career remains to be seen, but if not, it was a fitting sendoff to a beloved member of the franchise who’ll long be remembered as a fan favorite.
Pablo-e time to call it a career…
Hired – Yeah I agree. Even though he was a bust in Boston, I wish him well. He’s a nice guy, but his time in Boston will forever be remembered for two things: Busting his belt during a swing, and wearing skinny jeans to Winter Weekend.
1-Using his cell phone during a game.
2-John Henry being happy with his 17% body fat, making him the skinniest guy on the RS.
Joe – I don’t remember the cell phone thing, wow! Not even Manny did that.
17% body fat is really good. I got down to 15% last summer after not drinking for 8 months and working out super hard. Probably at like 20+ now. Hazy IPAs and cake are better than being fit and boring.
Iirc he was liking thirst traps on insta while taking an in game dump
This week in oversharing
Neither a pleasant visual. Go Panda!
Lol
Nothing unusual. Giants weren’t going to DFA Bart, had a good spring and has trade value.
Roupp is the big news! Wait til you see this kid’s curveball. Nasty!
I think the league knows the roster crunch situation and won’t offer on Bart.
Catchers get hurt all around the MLB. My guess is that the Giants will get a call at some point from a team needing to come to the table.
Or, one of their three gets hurt.
He might be desired in a trade after 2-3 days when teams determine if catcher is a need. if not, he’ll be waived before Monday to create a 40 man spot for Black (or Jefferies). Currently 12 pitchers and 14 position players. 8 of 12 are bullpen guys.
Another reason to wait to waive Bart is if teams are settled at catcher, Bart might go unclaimed. BUT I still believe there’s a team out of 29 that will want him still.
Not much of a surprise, actually. Roupp this spring: 4 games, 8 IP, 90 pitches, 13 SO, 2 ER, 1 HR, 0.75 Whip. Oh, and that nasty curveball that you told. N-A-S-T-Y!
By putting Bart on the roster, I think the Giants are telling any team interested in him that he’s not being released, if that’s what they were waiting for. Any catcher-needy team is going to have to offer at least something in order to acquire him.
Wonder if they could have gotten that prospect TB gave up for Rortvedt.
Bart played better than any other Giants catcher this spring and Bailey is showing concerning struggles
Murphy 5 hits in last 5 abs there firefarhan. 3 homers. Bailey GG runner up.
I predicted before the game that Bailey would go 0-3, strikeout and commit at least one error. That’s EXACTLY what he did. I predict Bart starts soon.
Bart .430 batting average there claude raymond. 0-fer Bailey doing his normal thing, commiting errors while not hitting, but striking out. Last year he struck out at a higher rate than Bart. Look it up.
Bart stays because Bailey can’t Hit. As Bailey continues to struggle at the plate, they’ll eventually try Bart again. And if Bart hits….he won’t sit
Bailey commits more errors than any other catcher in MLB too.
No surprises
Goodbye, Pablo.
Looks like Roupp wins out over Black.
Should be further updates on Fitzgerald.
No mention of Bart ? I’m guessing DFA.
@oldgfan my guess is they tried to trade him the last few weeks but they all figured they could get him on the waiver wire
Bart made the roster. Probably gets traded soon or they option Bailey. Can’t just give Bart away, had good spring and is better than many other backup catchers out there.
WoW didn’t even see that anywhere but I guess early on they’ll be okay.
Bart’s the best catcher we have
They kept him amd are carrying three catchers
Hope the 12 pitchers, 13 position player thing works early on. A bit risky but that’s how they’re keeping Bart.
I meant 14 position players.
Google SF GIANTS 40MAN ROSTER. It’s up to date. 14 position players. Bart will either get traded or waived before game 5 to create a spot for the 13th pitcher, who will start game 5. I’m betting it’s Black. Roupp, I believe, will be like a bulk middle guys. Jefferies might replace Roupp to be that guy. Or Jefferies will come up to start Monday. We’ll see
I mean if you count Snell they do have 5 SP right now with Webb-Harrison-Hicks-Snell-Winn. I think they might pull a 2023 special and do a bullpen game to reach Snell if he isn’t ready. I also think Cobb will actually be ready to go as soon as the IL stint is up. Zaidi is a much smarter baseball guy than me but I really don’t see Bart’s value being as high as this move merits
so take the chance he doesnt get claimed and you get him back. Stays in the system at Sac. He knows the pitchers. Snell on IL would not work cuz it’s 15 days and he’ll be ready before that. So pitch Black on Monday and send him down before Snell pitches. They are NOT using the opener….for now anyway. Most starters are not ready for more than 5 innings. So Roupp is there to do middle work. Walker had a few 2+ inning games last year.
claud raymond you said that Bart would be off the roster before today’s game. You were wrong again. Bart’s earned a spot on the roster. The way Bailey has been playing I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go 0-3 with 3 Ks, while allowing a passed ball and throwing a ball into CF
btw, firefarhan, have you ever been right?
try this, Luciano will be converted to OF before 2025. His future is not at SS. Kim will be at SS next year.
Bailey 0-3 with a strikeout and an error today. I was right again. I predict Bart starts soon.
Obviously you’ve missed a lot of my comments. Being all in your head and all.
I know some fans are going to be unhappy with Luciano and Matos but both players need to play everyday and one is blocked (Matos) and the other doesn’t seem quite ready (Luciano). I expect both to be a big part of 2024 though
If Matos continues to thrive it will turn Conforto into a nice trade chip at the deadline. I expect Conforto to turn it up a notch this walk year. Personally I’m tired of the warning track power he has displayed thus far. Matos should force him out.
I actually think it’s going to be Yaz who gets forced out. I think Conforto is going to have a big year
Maybe, but I don’t see them resigning him even if he does. Too many prospects coming up.
Oh yeah for sure I meant in 2024 I also feel the same way about Chapman
Really wanted Marco & Matos on the opening day roster but I understand. Very glad the Pablo circus is over, from what I understand he won’t miss SF, except maybe Pence and Bochy. It’s a very long season and I except some of the exciting prospects will force the Giants hands (hopefully). It’s been a minute since I’ve been this excited for opening day; Go Giants!
Wouldn’t be too surprised if they just resign Pablo to a minor league deal if he’s really that adamant on playing in Sacramento. But, I’m really hoping to see some big statements from Luciano and Matos in Triple A. Both of these kids are so young so I am not keen on forcing every day MLB innings when they can clearly still develop in the minors.
He was already on a minor league deal. They ended his time in SF as a player with this move
Thought it was weird he sounded like he’d be willing to go to AAA but clearly they aren’t looking to give him even that PT
Ahmed looked dialed in from the moment he took the field. Giants may have found a steal if he can carry it over
Ahmed’s spring was surely an anomaly, but he has a track record as a defensive, glove-first SS. Luciano will need to show in AAA that he’s waking up at the plate. Can’t keep striking out at a 30% clip.
He woke up the last week. His defense was.not good. That’s what needs the improvement. I still feel he’ll be converted to OF at some point. Kim will opt out and be a free agent. And will join Lee, his pal, next season in SF
Looks like the buffet retired Pablo from MLB.
Wow, original. He was in the best shape yet. Like his rookie year. The buffet joke is about 3 yrs old.
Low bar. Is that you Pablo?
Should have just DFA’d Yaz. Not sure what Matos has to do to stick.
Season is long. Injuries happen. Need the depth….
Yaz is going on paternity leave tomorrow
Way to reward Matos. He’s done everything the giants have asked of him these last couple years. Would have been nice to show the players in your organization that you’ll be rewarded if you put in the work. I’m sure they’ll activate him when Yaz goes on maternity leave but they should have given him the opening day spot and sent Yaz to Nashville early.
Bart certainly has earned a roster spot too though
After watching Luciano play 15 games here in AZ, he needs to get better on the outside corner of the plate and recognizing outside corner breaking balls. He is the future, but he is not quite ready yet.
What a shame that Joey Bart made the roster.
He should have been dfa.
Based on performance he should be in the starting lineup
All good moves today, other than maybe Matos and Luciano. Bart’s earned a roster spot. Based on performance he should be in the starting lineup. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Bailey go 0-3 with 3 Ks today, while allowing a passed ball and throwing a ball into CF.
When this doesn’t happen what name will you change to? Snivelzilla? And btw, if we’re basing decisions on preseason stats, why is Webb starting? Kinda defies the FF logic doesn’t it?
Bart is on the roster for one reason only; he’s out of options. Apparently the Giants believe he has trade value, and maybe he does. Other teams aren’t fooled by small sample ST stats, but some team might like him enough to offer something interesting. The Giants aren’t going to carry 3 catchers all season, and they’re not trading Bailey or Murphy.
Will you bandwagons, who only show up when winning, quit arguing about Bartman. Just show up at some games this year! I have my tickets to the brewers this year, and we might not be any better than you!
PS: Goodbye Pablo, I enjoyed watching you play too!
2024: The Year of the Orange Panda. Make Panda Great Again
Nooo lucianoo
Last and final insult to Brandon Crawford I guess. It’s amazing how little loyalty they showed him in the end.
If using “and” to begin a sentence, it shouldn’t be followed by a comma.