The Giants made the first big bushel of moves on the list on Thursday when they activated third baseman Evan Longoria and first baseman Brandon Belt from the 10-day disabled list, and removed outfielder Steven Duggar from the alternating field.
The club cleared the 30-player roster spots for those three by choosing outfielders Jaylin Davis and Joe McCarthy to camp and cutting Rule 5 pitcher Dany Jimenez, who was designated for assignment.
The Giants reduced their pitching team from 16 to 15 and their outfield from six to five with these moves. They couldn’t afford to cut any of their infielders to make room for Belt and Longoria, who are expected to make their season debut against the Padres on Thursday night at Oracle Park.
Davis and McCarthy had minor league options, hurting their chances of staying for now. Davis started season 2-for-12 with a home run. McCarthy was 0-for-10 in his first major league action.
Starting the season with the inexperienced McCarthy over Duggar seemed like a head scratch, but the Giants liked McCarthy’s at-bats at summer camp better. McCarthy’s versatility also worked in his favor. It was a left-handed option at first base with Belt suckling Achilles tendonitis.
Longoria had a right oblique strain.
Duggar will improve the outfield defense and give manager Gabe Kapler another left-handed hitting option from the bench when he doesn’t start.
Jiménez had a good and a bad start to start the season. The Giants love their stuff, but he was not able to consistently throw his fastball and curved ball for punches. According to Rule 5, if he deletes the exemptions, the Giants must offer him back to the Blue Jays, who could instead come to an agreement allowing the Giants to keep him.
The Giants also said outfielder Jose Siri and infielder Kean Wong cleared the exemptions and were sent directly to Triple-A Sacramento.
Henry Schulman covers the Giants for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @hankschulman
