At first glance, the transaction the Giants announced about an hour before first pitch Tuesday seemed to be the most important of the year thus far. Ace Kevin Gausman was put on the IL and Joey Bart, the organization's top prospect, was called up from the taxi squad.
But there's some needed background info on this move, which wasn't actually a big deal, but could provide a big boost during a doubleheader at Coors Field.
Gausman received a COVID-19 vaccine and was feeling side effects, per the Giants, and he is likely to be activated in the next couple of days and return to the rotation in time to start Saturday against the Padres. It also seems extremely likely that Bart is in the Triple-A lineup on Thursday when the River Cats begin their season in Las Vegas.
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With an extra roster spot to play with, the Giants added a third catcher, which allows them to use Bart off the bench during Tuesday's doubleheader and potentially use Buster Posey as a pinch-hitter if Curt Casali catches the night game.
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The Giants brought five players on this trip as part of the taxi squad and have now recalled three of them. Jason Vosler took Tommy La Stella's roster spot and Conner Menez was added as the 27th man for the doubleheader. They chose Bart over Thairo Estrada, an infielder, and reliever Kervin Castro.
