Hard-throwing pitcher is the first to be optioned out of SF Giants camp

The SF Giants continued trimming the camp roster this week. According to the team's transaction log, Blade Tidwell became the first player to be optioned out of Giants camp this spring.

Hard-throwing pitcher is the first to be optioned out of SF Giants camp

The Giants also made another roster cut, reassigning Jake Holton to minor league camp, per Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle. Both players will finish the spring in minor league camp, but Tidwell was optioned because he currently occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.

The technical number of players on the 40-man roster still in camp is 39. However, that number is quite a bit lower when you factor in that Hayden Birdsong, Reiver Sanmartin, Joel Peguero, and Sam Hentges will likely begin the year on the injured list.

The only potential question mark from that group is Hentges. He has not yet made an appearance in the Cactus League. However, if he returns in the next couple of days, he could do the normal ramp up that relievers typically do in spring training, with some of that process carrying over into the regular season. That seems unlikely at this point.

In the case of Birdsong and Sanmartin, they will likely be transferred to the 60-day injured list. This would give the club some flexibility to add a couple of non-roster players, such as Michael Fulmer and Caleb Kilian, to the major league roster. Birdsong has dealt with an elbow injury and is weighing recovery options, but it could be a lengthy rehab process regardless.

Blade Tidwell impressed earlier in camp, but his more recent outings were not as clean. Overall, he allowed seven earned runs with 13 strikeouts and six walks in 6.2 innings.

The Giants acquired the hard-throwing pitcher in a four-player trade with the New York Mets at last year's trade deadline. He recorded a 1.80 ERA with 24 strikeouts and five walks in 18 innings down the stretch for the Sacramento River Cats.

The Giants tinkered with Tidwell's pitch mix, and this paid immediate dividends in Triple-A. There is a good chance that he would have made his debut for the Giants at the end of last season if he had not spent a month on the injured list. Tidwell has a good fastball and an above-average breaking ball, but the control remains a work in progress.

On the other hand, Jake Holton got off to a solid start this spring but cooled off as the Cactus League progressed. He tallied nine hits, including a grand slam, with eight RBI in 34 at-bats. Holton has spent parts of the past four seasons in Double-A with the Detroit Tigers, but he should be poised to move up to Triple-A this year.