San Francisco Giants: 3 Up and 3 Down from Week 3

The San Francisco Giants have added a lot of left-handed relievers this spring and Steven Okert‘s chances of making the roster seemed like a long-shot despite being on the 40-man roster. He is out of options, so the Giants will need to make a decision on him.

He has made it a bit of an easy decision as he has struggled mightily. In 7 innings of work, Okert has posted a 6.43 ERA. He has struck out 9 batters, but struggled with his command as he has given away 4 free passes.

Like Okert, Pat Venditte is another reliever who has struggled. The Giants signed Venditte early this offseason, and part of his appeal was that he has one option remaining. It seems the San Francisco Giants will use that roster flexibility:

Venditte had a couple scoreless appearances earlier this spring, but he has struggled since then. In only 5.2 innings of work, Venditte has posted a 11.12 ERA.

He will start the season in Sacramento, but Venditte will really need to pitch well to earn a promotion. He is on the older side, and does not have the track record that would inspire a promotion.

Lastly, Pablo Sandoval has struggled a bit at the wrong time. Sandoval will likely make the Giants roster, but there could be an odd roster dynamic between him, Alen Hanson, and Yangervis Solarte. Sandoval happens to be the least versatile of the utility infielders.

So far, Sandoval is batting .242 with a .628 OPS. As a veteran, his performance does not put his roster spot in jeopardy. However, if this performance bleeds over in to the season, then the questions will begin as to how he fits on to the roster.

At this point in the spring, the rosters are beginning to thin out. Camp battles continue to take place. And, the hard decisions will likely be made closer to the start of the season. The Giants will have a number of tough decisions to make at that time.