SF Giants add former Cardinals prospect on waiver claim in flurry of moves

The SF Giants made a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday. This included claiming left-handed reliever Kolton Ingram in a waiver claim from the St. Louis Cardinals and assigning him to Richmond according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants add former Cardinals prospect on waiver claim in flurry of moves

The fact that Ingram is being sent to Double-A is likely a product of the Giants being on a six-game road trip on the East Coast. Given Richmond's proximity to both Atlanta and Cleveland, the lefty pitcher is just a short trip away.

The Detroit Tigers originally selected Ingram in the 37th round of the 2019 draft out of Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. Not surprisingly, he is the only player drafted from that round in 2019 who signed and has since debuted in the majors. In fact, he may become the last 37th-round pick to reach the majors as baseball has consolidated its draft to just 20 rounds now.

The 27-year-old has posted a 3.29 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, and a 2.56 SO/W rate while working exclusively out of the bullpen in parts of five minor league seasons. This does include a 4.26 ERA in 20 outings this year in Triple-A, but this was split between the New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and Cardinals Triple-A affiliates.

Ingram made five appearances with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023 and he allowed five earned runs in 5.1 frames. On the mound, he flashes a low 90's four-seam fastball with a slider that gets good horizontal movement. He likes to throw the fastball up in the zone and he misses a healthy number of bats while using the slider as a chase pitch in the bottom of the zone.

The Giants also optioned Landen Roupp and activated Mike Yastrzemski (oblique) from the injured list. Roupp was recalled over the weekend to give the club a fresh arm on the heels of so many bullpen games.

The rookie pitcher did appear in one game, allowing three earned runs across 2.2 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will return to Sacramento to get stretched out as a starter.

Yastrzemski returns after a brief stint on the injured list with an oblique injury. He has a .723 OPS with seven home runs and 28 RBI in 217 plate appearances in 2024. This includes two hits in his first game back in a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.