Joe

McCarthy

McCarthy, who spent last year in Japan, hit .258/.343/.387 this spring while trying to win a spot on the Texas bench. He’ll likely need to go play in Triple-A somewhere.

McCarthy spent last season with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, slashing .225/.344/.343 with four homers across 212 plate appearances. The versatile 28-year-old outfielder got into four contests for the Giants during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, going hitless in 10 at-bats. He’ll compete this spring for a spot on the Rangers’ Opening Day roster.

McCarthy is headed to Japan to play for the Orix Buffaloes. The 28-year-old last appeared in the majors in 2020.

McCarthy enjoyed a great spring, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to win a spot on the Opening Day roster. He’ll try to stay ready for his next opportunity.

McCarthy kicked off the scoring with a towering solo shot to right field off Brandon Woodruff in the second inning. It was his third round-tripper of the spring. The 28-year-old outfielder is in Rangers’ camp as a non-roster invitee and has done just about everything possible to make a compelling case for a spot on the team’s Opening Day roster, hitting .571 (8-for-14) in 10 Cactus League contests. We’ll see.

It’s unclear whether the deal includes an invitation to spring training. McCarthy got a cup of coffee with the Giants in 2020 and posted a .926 OPS with 15 homers for their Triple-A affiliate in 2021.

McCarthy has to be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Joey Bart, as the star catching prospect was promoted to San Francisco on Thursday. McCarthy will report back to San Francisco’s alternate site if he isn’t claimed by another club.

McCarthy made the Opening Day roster but was hitless in 10 plate appearances. He should get another shot eventually.

McCarthy hit .183/.301/.328 in the minors last year, but the Giants are... ummm... getting creative with their lineups with Buster Posey, Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria all absent. We’d still rather see Austin Slater in there.

McCarthy homered against Josh Lindblom in the fourth inning. The 26-year-old has serious on-base skills, but his power has never developed and he hit just .183 with a .629 OPS in 67 games in the minors last year while missing time with a back injury.