SF Giants correct oversight by adding speedy outfielder

Just a few days ago, Bryce Johnson of the SF Giants seemed to be a lock for a spot on the club's 2023 Opening Day roster. He had an impressive spring, but was noticeably absent when the rosters were finalized. The Giants corrected this by adding him just one game into the season.

SF Giants correct oversight by adding speedy outfielder

The switch-hitting outfielder made it into 16 Spring Training games for the team, going 13-for-42 (which comes out to a .310 batting average) with four doubles, eight runs driven in and a whopping 12 stolen bases. He took full advantage of the new base sizes and the rules put in place limiting the amount of times a pitcher can make a pickoff attempt.

Johnson, 27, seemed to have found a loophole in some of the new rules being put into affect around the league in 2023. He had played so well that there was no shot he missed out on the Opening Day roster.

That is, until the club acquired Matt Beaty. Quite literally at the last second, Johnson did not make the blub, but he was on the taxi squad. It was initially a gut punch as Beaty, a five-year veteran in the big leagues, could take his spot on the active roster.

Fans of the Giants were understandably upset about this chain of events. Johnson was evolving into a feel-good story after making it into 11 big league games at the tail end of last season. His parents were in New York for what was supposed to be his first Opening Day game.

You get the point. Johnson had earned his spot on the roster and to have it swiped out from under him at the last minute was quite the bold move by the Giants' front office. The good news is that they fixed this.

The speedy outfielder appeared in the second game of the season, recording a hitless at-bat while being a defensive replacement in center field. San Francisco certainly needs some extra depth at center field, so the hope is that the 27-year-old outfielder is able to carve out a role. It was definitely a questionable decision to leave him off of the roster, but the front office made the right call by adding him back.