Giants Announce 2020 Opening Night List: Who’s Inside and Who’s Outside

LOS ANGELES – Jaylin Davis and Joe McCarthy are in and Steven Duggar is out, more or less. Joey Bart is out, Yolmer Sanchez and Chadwick Tromp are injured, and a pitcher named Caleb Baragar, who was not in summer camp when he started, will be in uniform for Thursday’s opening game against the Dodgers.

The 30-man roster the Giants announced reflects a rebuilding team designed to maximize matchups, to the benefit of some players who have worked on the minors for years.

The Giants will lead two receivers to Dodger Stadium, shot hitter Tyler Heineman and left-hander Rob Brantly. Baseball operations president Farhan Zaidi said he continues to search for an experienced receiver outside of the organization.

That receiver, if signed or acquired on the exchange, could join the team Thursday as one of three players who were not on the 30-player roster, but can be transported as a squad of taxis. The other two who will be in Los Angeles, ready to fill a spot if necessary, will be Duggar and pitcher Andrew Suarez.

Finally, almost four months after the first originally scheduled game, Gabe Kapler knows who he will have on his bench (or in the stands behind the bench) for his debut as manager of the Giants.

“It’s weird to say it because it looks like he’s been on paper for five years with everything that happened,” Zaidi said, “but I know he’s waiting for it.”

The Giants will carry 16 pitchers. Among them are two Colorado scraps, left-handed starter Tyler Anderson and right-handed reliever Rico Garcia, whose things were praised throughout summer camp.

Also among the 16 are the recruiter for Rule 5, Dany Jiménez, a right-hander with a fast and curved ball that the team had to make or be offered back to the Blue Jays, and a pitcher that the Giants thought they would lose in Rule 5. but it was not taken – to his relief.

That’s Baragar, a 2016 26-year-old ninth-round draft pick who had a 3.45 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) for Double A Richmond last season and impressed the honchos with their stuff and the aggressiveness of the strike zone. It was added to the summer camp late after a couple of launchers got lost in the positive tests for coronavirus.

“It was an easy enough decision to put him on our team,” said Zaidi, “a man who improved over the course of last season, was in Sacramento at the end of the year for the playoffs and pitched very well in the Triple-A championship game. “We are very glad that we were able to hold on to him, and we continue his progress even though he was not with us during the first part of the camp.”

Six players who were not on the list of 40 men were part of the team: Baragar, Brantly, Heineman, Rico García, Darin Ruf and Pablo Sandoval. The Giants needed to open two spots and designated outfielder Jose Siri and infielder Kean Wong.

Ruf, who could start at first base Thursday night against Clayton Kershaw, hit 86 home runs over three seasons in Korea before earning a minor league contract and invitation to spring training in February.

Speaking on KNBR, Kapler said Ruf was behind other guests on the starting depth chart, but a dominating performance in the Cactus League games took him to the top.

“I think it is going to be a significant part of our list this year,” Kapler said, particularly against left-handed pitchers. Ruf, 33, can play first base and outfield while being a designated hitter against lefties.

Two players who could have been on the list, Sánchez, an infielder and Tromp, a catcher, were injured in the displays against the Athletics. Sánchez had a tight back and Tromp had a hamstring injury.

Neither was included on the disabled list in the hope that they will recover quickly. Technically they are part of the alternative camp that will soon begin operating in Sacramento.

Sanchez was expected to be an integral part of the infield rotation because he can change at one stroke and won a Gold Glove last year with the White Sox.

“Given that he will be out for at least a few days,” Zaidi said, “we anticipate that he will be in Sacramento doing a few reps there and demonstrating that he can go through consecutive games and go through, not necessarily a full rehab. Schedule, but he plays enough to demonstrate his Health “.

As expected, first baseman Brandon Belt and third baseman Evan Longoria were placed on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to July 20.

Suarez and right-hander Dereck Rodriguez were chosen for the alternate training site, whose primary receiver will be Bart. The organization had hinted that it would not be part of the team. Zaidi and Kapler continually said he needed more development time, but service time could have played a role.

He will be joined by Bart at alternate site outfielder Billy Hamilton and pitchers Jarlin Garcia and Trevor Cahill.

Hamilton and Garcia did not participate in most of the summer camp, included on the disabled list without explanation. Cahill was delayed due to a nail problem.