It was not a surprise that the Giants optioned or reassigned 25 players out of big league camp on Monday morning, two weeks from the end of camp. But there was a notable omission from the list.
The Giants cut loose most of their top prospects, including Joey Bart, Marco Luciano, Hunter Bishop and Patrick Bailey, but for now outfield prospect Heliot Ramos will stay in camp as a non-roster invitee. Ramos has had a huge spring, picking up nine hits -- including three homers -- in 21 at-bats, and while he's not a candidate to make the Opening Day roster, he will get at least a few more games to show that he's close to being big league ready.
The cuts brought camp from 74 to 49 players, although they didn't add any clarity in the race for Opening Day spots. Bart always was going to start the season in Triple-A, and he was optioned out of camp along with fellow backup catcher option Chadwick Tromp. Curt Casali will start the season as Buster Posey's backup, as expected.
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Right-handers Camilo Doval and Kervin Castro could be bullpen options later this summer and both had their highs during the spring, but the Giants will fill their initial bullpen with veterans, seeking to protect their inventory above all else.
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Luciano, the organization's top prospect, was also reassigned after a rough spring that was a reminder of how much development the 19-year-old has left. He had one hit in 16 at-bats and struck out 11 times.
Here's the full list of Monday's cuts:
The Giants have 14 more spring training games before flying to Seattle for the April 1 opener.
