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Giants Select Jakson Reetz

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The Giants made a few roster moves today, relayed on X by Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle. They have recalled right-hander Hayden Birdsong and selected the contract of catcher Jakson Reetz. In corresponding moves, catcher Curt Casali has been placed on the paternity list while right-hander Spencer Bivens has been optioned to Double-A Richmond. The club already had a couple of 40-man vacancies after the flurry of deadline transactions and their count now climbs to 39.

Reetz, 28, will be in his second stint with the Giants this season. San Francisco selected him to the 40-man roster back in May. He went just 1-for-12 in a brief five-game stint, though his lone hit in that run was a big fly. The Giants designated Reetz for assignment and passed him through waivers later in the month when opening a roster spot for veteran lefty Drew Pomeranz.

Between his brief look with the Giants and an even shorter look with the 2022 Nats (two plate appearances), Reetz has just 14 trips to the plate under his belt in the majors. He’s hitting .250/.362/.428 with Triple-A Sacramento this season and carries a career .240/.336/.467 line in parts of four seasons at the top minor league level. With Casali only headed to the paternity list — a three-day maximum — it could be a brief stay in the majors for Reetz. However, he’s in the second of three minor league option years, so he could simply be optioned rather than designated for assignment whenever Casali returns. That’d at least keep him on the 40-man roster.

Birdsong, 22, will come back to the majors after an impressive debut earlier this season. He’s made six MLB starts and posted a 2.97 ERA in 30 1/3 frames, fanning a huge 30.2% of his opponents against an 11.9% walk rate that’ll need to improve if he’s to sustain his small-sample success. The 2022 sixth-rounder is one of the organization’s more promising pitching prospects and has carved up Double-A this season in addition to yielding five runs in nine Triple-A innings (two starts). With Jordan Hicks now in the bullpen and Alex Cobb traded to Cleveland, Birdsong should have a runway to establish himself as the fifth starter behind Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Kyle Harrison and the resurgent Blake Snell in the Giants’ rotation.

Giants Activate Kyle Harrison From 15-Day IL

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The Giants officially reinstated left-hander Kyle Harrison from the 15-day injured list this afternoon, as Harrison is set to make the start in today’s game with the Guardians.  San Francisco also called up southpaw Kolton Ingram from Double-A, and right-hander Spencer Bivens and infielder David Villar were both optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding moves.

Regarded as one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, Harrison made his MLB debut last season and was slated to take a regular spot in the Giants’ rotation this season.  A sprained right ankle sent him to the IL on June 13, but before Harrison became the latest Giants hurler sidelined by injury, the results in terms of bottom-line numbers were pretty solid.  Harrison had a 3.96 ERA in 14 starts and 77 1/3 innings, as well as an above-average 6.7% walk rate.  Since control was a big question mark for Harrison in Triple-A in 2023, that decent walk rate is a very nice sign of the 22-year-old development as a big league starter.

The rest of the secondary metrics weren’t as glowing for Harrison, as he is allowing a lot of hard contact and his 20.6% strikeout rate ranks only in the 38th percentile of all pitchers.  Harrison is getting great results from the four-seamer he throws 62.5% of the time, but batters have been feasting on his secondary pitches, giving Harrison something of a predictable repertoire.

Plenty of adjustments are sure to come for a pitcher who is still so early in his pro career, as Harrison was a third-round pic in the 2020 draft.  Perhaps most importantly for the 2024 version of the Giants, Harrison was both effective and durable prior to his ankle injury, and his return allows the Giants to fill one hole in what has been another makeshift rotation for the club.  Logan Webb and reliever-turned-starter Jordan Hicks have been San Francisco’s other two stable starters, but the Giants have cycled multiple pitchers through the other two rotation spots with little success.

Blake Snell is expected to return from his latest IL stint this week, as the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner looks to finally get his Giants tenure on track after a horrific first three months.  Robbie Ray (Tommy John surgery) and Alex Cobb (hip surgery) should both return from their lengthy rehabs in the second half to provide some further reinforcement, so if the 44-45 Giants can at least tread water in the playoff race, they could look to be buyers at the July 30 deadline.

Ingram’s recall gives San Francisco another fresh arm in the bullpen, and it also puts Ingram in line for the first MLB action of what has been a tumultuous five months for the 27-year-old left-hander.  Since the start of February, Ingram has been a member of six different organizations due to recurring series of waiver claims, and just last week, the Cardinals’ decision to designate Ingram for assignment opened the door for the Giants to again pluck him off the waiver wire.  Ingram made his Major League last season, tossing 5 1/3 innings over five appearances with the Angels.

Giants Place Kyle Harrison On 15-Day IL With Ankle Sprain

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The Giants announced this morning that they’ve placed left-hander Kyle Harrison on the injured list due to a right ankle sprain. Taking Harrison’s place on the active roster is right-hander Spencer Bivens, who was selected from the minor leagues. Right-hander Nick Avila was released to clear a spot for Bivens on the 40-man roster.

The news regarding Harrison is rather troubling for a Giants club that has been without Robbie Ray, Alex Cobb, and Tristan Beck all season and recently sent left-hander Blake Snell back to the injured list due to a groin strain. Now, the club’s longtime top pitching prospect is set to join them after getting off to a solid start throughout the first half this season. In 14 starts for the Giants this year, Harrison has posted a roughly league average 3.96 ERA with a nearly identical 3.94 FIP, although he’s struck out just 20.6% of batters faced in that time.

It’s not currently clear how long Harrison is expected to be out of action, though the news figures to leave the Giants in a tight spot in terms of their rotation, where they’re currently relying on Jordan Hicks, Spencer Howard, and Keaton Winn behind ace righty Logan Webb. For the time being, the club appears poised to opt for a bullpen game in place of Harrison’s scheduled start against the Angels this afternoon, with rookie southpaw Erik Miller having already been tabbed to open the game.

With the bullpen likely to be leaned heavily on both tonight and in the near future, the Giants are calling up Bivens to replace Harrison on the roster. Bivens, who will celebrate his 30th birthday at the end of the month, has spent his entire career in the Giants organization outside of a brief stint in the Atlantic League back in 2022 but had not previously made his way to the major leagues. With his big league debut seemingly around the corner, the righty will surely look to carry his excellent 2.81 ERA and decent 21.2% strikeout rate into the big leagues in a multi-inning relief role.

Making room for Bivens on the Giants’ 40-man roster is Avila, who has been in the Giants organization ever since he was selected by the club in the 26th round of the 2019 draft. Avila made his big league debut with the Giants earlier this year and ultimately appeared in eight games with the club at the big league level. He struggled to a 8.49 ERA in 11 2/3 innings of work across those appearances, although his solid 25.5% strikeout rate and a respectable 3.74 FIP both indicate that his tough performance could be chalked up to poor luck, at least to some extent. The righty has a decent 3.43 ERA in 81 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level across the past two years and figures to be an interesting option for rival clubs on a no-risk minor league deal now that he’s been released.

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