2017 NL All-Star among trio of minor leaguers released by SF Giants

The SF Giants made three more changes in the upper minors to start the week. 2017 NL All-Star Jake Lamb and Brett Auerbach were released by their Triple-A roster, and Dylan Cumming was released from the Double-A club according to the team's transaction log.

2017 NL All-Star among trio of minor leaguers released by SF Giants

The Giants had a lot of movement in the upper minors as well, headlined by Bryce Eldridge being promoted to the Sacramento River Cats. He will be bringing fellow teammate Trent Harris along with him to Triple-A.

As soon as Lamb was released, it felt like a precursor to an Eldridge promotion. The veteran infielder spent the bulk of his time at first base with the River Cats, and that cleared the way for Eldridge on the roster.

The Giants originally signed Lamb to a minor league deal with a camp invite. He had spent more time at first base in recent years, making it a tough fit for the Giants' roster. However, Lamb hits from the left side, and the Giants do not have many left-handed hitters in the upper minors.

The 10-year veteran did see a good bit of time in spring training, which is usually a sign that the player is being evaluated. He did not break camp with the club, and reported to Triple-A, where he posted a .706 OPS with two home runs and 20 RBI in 176 plate appearances.

Brett Auerbach was viewed as a legitimate prospect not that long ago, and even won the Barney Nugent Award in 2022. At the lower levels, he played pretty much every position, including catcher. Sticking at catcher was a key part of his profile, but he saw substantially less time behind the plate in the upper minors.

Auerbach struggled against more advanced pitching, but he put up a respectable .722 OPS with four home runs and 14 RBI in 148 plate appearances with the River Cats this season.

Lastly, Dylan Cumming was among the roster cuts. He joined the Giants as an undrafted free agent out of Liberty University in 2023. The right-handed pitcher put up a quality 3.63 ERA across three minor league seasons. He pitched to a 4.05 ERA in 14 outings with the Richmond Flying Squirrels this season.

The Giants also released reliever Nick Garcia from Richmond's roster over the weekend.