SF Giants news: Trevor Cahill added to the roster, tabbed as starter

In a move that had been in the works for several days, the San Francisco Giants added Trevor Cahill to the major league roster on Wednesday.

The veteran hurler will take the place of Jeff Samardzija in the Giants starting rotation after Samardzija landed on the injured list with a shoulder injury.

The decision to promote Cahill to the 28-man roster is not surprising given that he was added to the taxi squad on Sunday as he returns from a finger injury.

The veteran Cahill has spent parts of 11 seasons with the Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, and Los Angeles Angels.

The one-time All-Star is best known for his two stints with the Athletics, but he does have a World Series ring with the Cubs on his resume as well.

In his career, the right-hander has posted an 84-92 overall record with a 4.21 ERA. He had a career resurgence in 2018 where he pitched to the tune of a 3.76 ERA across 110 frames with the Athletics.

However, the resurgence appears to have been short-lived as he struggled badly with the Angels in the following year. He generated a 5.98 ERA across 102.1 innings while working out of the rotation as well as the bullpen.

His versatility is likely what attracted the Giants to sign him with a spring training invite this past offseason. He may not be a reliable starter at this point, but with a 3.95 career ERA as a reliever, he could become a reliable bullpen arm.

SF Giants need Trevor Cahill in the rotation

That said, the Giants will need him to work out of the rotation immediately due to the injuries to both Samardzija and Drew Smyly. The Giants rotation depth has taken a hit, but they have done well to position themselves to have an experienced pitcher like Cahill on their depth chart.

The Cahill roster move still has a loose end:

There are a number of different directions they could go with this roster move. First off, Cahill will need to be added to the 40-man roster, so someone will need to be removed from it as well.

If Samardzija’s injury is serious, he could be moved to the 45-day injured list, which frees up a space for Cahill.

SF Giants still need to make roster space for Trevor Cahill

Of course, someone still needs to be removed from the 28-man roster as well. They could option someone like Shaun Anderson to open up that roster spot.

Or, if they designate a player from the 28-man roster for assignment, they will achieve two goals with one move by opening up a spot on both the 28-man and 40-man roster.

We will know move about this roster move before tonight’s game.

Update: The Giants optioned Conner Menez and Rico Garcia to the alternate training site and  recalled Dereck Rodriguez. Andrew Triggs was designated for assignment.

That said, there will be no honeymoon phase with Cahill’s time in San Francisco as he will face a tough Houston Astros lineup later today while trying to help the Giants take the series.