On their final off day of the spring, the Giants sent nine more players out of big league camp. It was a flurry of moves that got them very, very close to having a set Opening Day roster.
The notable cuts came with two pitchers already on the 40-man, right-handers Jakob Junis and Kervin Castro. Both were in position to potentially make the initial 28-man roster, but both should also be in line for a call-up early on as the Giants play 19 games over the first 20 days of the season. The Giants also reassigned Alex Blandino, Austin Dean, Arquimedes Gamboa, Luis Gonzalez, Jason Krizan, Jhonny Pereda and Taylor Williams to minor league camp, with all of them likely to join the Triple-A roster.
With those moves, the Giants have just 34 players left in camp, although that includes Evan Longoria and LaMonte Wade Jr., both of whom will start the season on the Injured List. That also includes veteran right-hander Carlos Martinez, who hasn't pitched in a spring game yet, and do-everything prospect Brett Auerbach, who is headed for Double-A but will remain in camp to provide an extra catcher for the final two exhibition games.
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That leaves 30 players vying for 28 spots, and Tommy La Stella might also start the season on the I.L. Two notable decisions remain.
With two extra roster spots through April, the Giants could start with 15 pitchers, which would include every 40-man-roster pitcher still in camp. Martinez got a late start to his spring and it's unclear when he'll be ready, but carrying 15 rostered pitchers would allow Tyler Beede, John Brebbia and Sam Long to break with the club.
The staff also needs to decide how many of the eight healthy (or nearly healthy) infielders left in camp will be there on opening day. The Brandons, Wilmer Flores and Thairo Estrada are locks, and La Stella will be if his Achilles is deemed up to speed. That leaves Mauricio Dubon, Jason Vosler and Luke Williams, with Dubon a frontrunner because he's out of minor league options.
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San Francisco Giants
Final rosters are due later this week before the home opener Friday against the Miami Marlins, but there's not much left to decide. Of course, this is one of the busier times of the year for Farhan Zaidi and Scott Harris, and a minor trade or waiver claim could still shake things up a bit. They already have seen good things from some recent minor league additions.
Gonzalez, claimed last year, had a great camp to get on the big league staff's radar. Krizan also stands out as someone the Giants have wanted to take a longer look at over the past year, and several others from the reassigned list should provide depth for the big league club this season.