SF Giants recall exciting pitching prospect in flurry of roster moves

The SF Giants welcomed back rookie pitcher Hayden Birdsong on Tuesday. Curt Casali landed on the paternity list and Spencer Bivens was optioned to the Richmond Flying Squirrels according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants recall exciting pitching prospect in flurry of roster moves

First off, we would like to congratulate the Casali family on the incoming new addition to their family. This is a very exciting time for them.

In addition to those moves, the Giants selected Jakson Reetz's contract to give them a right-handed-hitting catcher on the roster. They are expected to face one more lefty in the four-game series against the Washington Nationals and could face at least one against the Atlanta Braves over the weekend. Reetz should slot right into place in those matchups.

The right-handed bat appeared briefly with San Francisco earlier this year, tallying one hit in 12 at-bats. That one hit was his first career home run in the majors. Reetz cleared waivers earlier this year and there is a good chance that his stay on the 40-man roster is temporary.

With the River Cats, Reetz has posted a .789 OPS with five home runs and 31 RBI in 214 plate appearances while working as one of the team's catchers along with Blake Sabol.

Birdsong may be up for good this time around. The Giants traded away Alex Cobb at the trade deadline to open up a rotation spot for the rookie pitcher. While Birdsong is nearing a career-high in innings, Farhan Zaidi recently indicated that the plan is to use the schedule to manage Birdsong's innings and have him finish the year in the rotation.

Birdsong got off to a strong start with the Giants, posting a 2.97 ERA with 38 strikeouts against 15 walks in 30.1 innings. However, he got roughed up for seven earned runs in two innings of work against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. It had been 10 days since his last start, so he was understandably rusty.

Lastly, Spencer Bivens gets sent to Richmond. With the Giants playing on the East Coast this week, the assignment is likely a function of wanting a pitcher close in proximity if the need arises. Bivens has done a really nice job, registering a 1.99 ERA across 22.2 innings with the Giants.