SF Giants make wildly unpopular move in sending down rookie pitcher after strong start

Despite a strong start against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, Hayden Birdsong was optioned back to the minors on Monday. In a corresponding roster move, new Giants pitcher Mike Baumann was activated, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants make wildly unpopular move in sending down rookie pitcher after strong start

Birdsong had no problem pitching at the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field on Sunday. Despite the high elevation and thin air, the rookie pitcher recorded 12 strikeouts with 10 of them coming on his curveball in a 3-2 win over the Rockies.

We explained why the Giants should be motivated to see what Birdsong can do down the stretch. With outings like he had on Sunday, it is tough to send down a young pitcher like that.

However, this feels like a temporary move. The Giants have a doubleheader coming up on Saturday against the Rockies. They will be able to carry a 27th player for those two games with Birdsong being the likely candidate. Pitching on Saturday would be just one day beyond his normal rest.

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Birdsong was optioned to San Jose. They play at home against the Modesto Nuts this week. On the other hand, the Sacramento River Cats are on the road against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys in Sugar Land, Texas. This is yet another sign that the Giants want Birdsong nearby and that they do intend to bring him back.

Nevertheless, Birdsong has posted a 3.55 ERA with 30 strikeouts against 12 walks in 25.1 frames with San Francisco. He is beginning to stake a case to hold down a rotation spot for the foreseeable future. For the time being, he has options and the Giants leveraged that.

San Francisco swung a trade to acquire reliever Mike Baumann from the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Baumann had been placed on waivers by Seattle on Saturday, but he did not have to wait long to have his status resolved.

The right-handed pitcher has a 4.57 ERA in parts of four seasons split between the Mariners and Baltimore Orioles. He is out of options, so the Giants may just be taking a flyer on him in case they need some innings covered in a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers this week.