SF Giants option 7 players, reassign 4 prospects to minor league camp

The SF Giants trimmed the camp roster on Monday, making their first cuts to the 40-man roster. Seven players were optioned to Triple-A headlined by Heliot Ramos and Erik Miller, whereas four were reassigned to minor league camp, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants option 7 players, reassign 4 prospects to minor league camp

The end result is the same between optioning and reassigning players. However, the transaction jargon is slightly different. Players are optioned because they are currently on the 40-man roster. However, reassigning a player is done to non-roster invitees. Regadless, both groups of players will finish spring training in minor league camp.

Ramos and Miller were optioned along with Cooper Hummel, Trevor McDonald, Randy Rodriguez, Kai-Wei Teng and Brett Wisely. There were not any surprises from the group. Hummer is a multi-positional catcher, but the Giants have coverage at all of the positions he plays including catcher, first base, and the corner outfield spots.

The same is true for Wisely, but he does offer more versatility up the middle. Teng, McDonald, and Rodriguez all seemed like long shots to break camp with the club. Teng suffered an oblique strain that prevented him from appearing in the Cactus League. McDonald struggled through two outings and Rodriguez tallied eight strikeouts against three walks in four innings.

Miller and Ramos are the more notable names to be cut. Miller is one of the few left-handed relievers in camp and yielded just one earned run across three innings. Ethan Small and Amir Garrett have a shot at making the club now as a second lefty reliever behind Taylor Rogers with the former already occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.

Prior to game action, Ramos was seen as the star of camp according to Giants manager Bob Melvin. Though, he registered just two hits in 16 at-bats this spring before being optioned. The 2024 season will be a make-or-break year for the former top prospect as he will likely burn his final minor league option.

The four players to be reassigned include Yusniel Díaz, Jose Cruz, Hayden Birdsong, and Carson Seymour. The Giants now have 32 players on the 40-man roster in camp.