SF Giants reassigned a pair of rostered players back up to Triple-A

As expected, the SF Giants reassigned a pair of rostered players back up to Triple-A after brief stints in Richmond. Both Luis Matos and Spencer Bivens have rejoined the Sacramento River Cats, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants reassigned a pair of rostered players back up to Triple-A

It was a mild surprise that Matos was optioned to Double-A, joining Bivens in the Eastern League. However, with the Giants on a seven-game road trip against the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals, they decided to keep both close in proximity in case a need arose.

That was nearly the case with Matos as Heliot Ramos battled a thumb injury last week. There was some level of concern that the 2024 NL All-Star could miss some time, but he rebounded nicely and has hit two home runs since missing two straight games. Matos would have been the obvious replacement on the roster. He did not have to travel far as he was assigned to Richmond.

The young outfielder made it into one game with the Flying Squirrels, recording one hit in three at-bats. On the other hand, Bivens did not make an appearance with Richmond.

Both should be back up with the Giants later this year. This is especially true for Bivens. The rookie pitcher has done nicely during his time with the Giants, posting a 1.99 ERA with 18 strikeouts against six walks in 22.2 frames. He is one of the few relievers in the bullpen who has minor league options remaining, so the Giants leveraged that flexibility when sending him down. It was not due to performance.

Bivens has the pitch mix to turn into an effective major league reliever. His sinker sits in the mid 90's and it induces a lot of groundball contact, whereas his sweeper misses enough bats.

Matos has struggled during his time with the Giants as he has registered a .571 OPS with four home runs and 24 RBI in 143 plate appearances. His numbers in Sacramento do not jump off of the page either with a .761 OPS in 265 plate appearances.

The right-handed bat is trying to generate more power by lifting in pulling more. He is doing both of those, but it is creating some concerning trends. Notably, he has generally used the whole field evenly, so a pull-heavy approach goes against what he has done.

Similarly, as he tries to create more lift to his swing, it has led to a sharp decline in his ability to barrel up pitches. This has also led to an unusually high 13.2 percent infield fly rate. The good news is that these are correctable issues and seeing consistent playing time in Triple-A will help him get back on track.