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SF Giants news: Sam Selman called up, Sam Coonrod to IL

SF Giants reliever Sam Coonrod throws a pitch. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SF Giants reliever Sam Coonrod throws a pitch. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

SF Giants brought up some pitching help in a roster move Friday

The San Francisco Giants made a minor roster move on Friday after calling up left-handed reliever Sam Selman from Sacramento. Selman will be available out of the bullpen during the series against the Texas Rangers.

However, the promotion came at the expense of Giants reliever Sam Coonrod, who will be heading to the injured list with a right lat strain.

The right-handed hurler had a promising rookie campaign in 2019 where he registered a 5-1 overall record with a 3.58 ERA across 27.1 frames

However, the 2020 season got off to a rough start quickly for Coonrod. He appeared in four games but yielded three earned runs on four hits and three walks in only 3.2 innings. The extent of Coonrod’s injury is not yet known.

Selman will slot into Coonrod’s spot. The Giants signed the southpaw as a minor league free agent with a Spring Training invite prior to the 2019 season.

He did not make the Opening Day roster, but quickly impressed in the upper minor league ranks. In 43 appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A, Selman posted a 2.29 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 55 innings.

The ability to strike out opposing hitters at such a high clip caught the attention of the Giants’ front office as he forced his way onto the San Francisco roster.

His time in San Francisco did not go as planned in 2019, but he did reach one important milestone as a 28-year-old rookie:

In 10 major league innings last year, the left-handed reliever posted a 4.35 ERA as he gave up six hits, included two dingers, and six walks. The good news is Selman showed some swing-and-miss stuff as he notched ten strikeouts in that time.

Sam Selman can help SF Giants vs. Rangers’ lefties

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The decision to call-up Selman ahead of the Texas series is not a surprise. The Rangers boast a left-handed heavy including slugger Joey Gallo, Shin-Soo Choo, and Willie Calhoun.

Selman’s presence in the bullpen is to give the Giants an extra lefty in the bullpen to give them a platoon advantage against the Rangers lineup. The Giants took advantage of this on Friday night as Selman recorded a scoreless inning with two strikeouts as the Giants sealed a 9-2 victory over the Rangers.

On top of this, Giants manager Gabe Kapler had a promising report on Selman during Spring Training 2.0.

If Selman can flash some of the consistency he displayed in Triple-A last season, he could quickly climb the bullpen totem pole, especially given the fact that many of the Giants leverage roles have not yet been defined.

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