SF Giants recall Landen Roupp, place former top pitching prospect on waivers

As the SF Giants continue to rely on bullpen games, they will need to cycle through the 40-man roster as the need arises. On Sunday, Landen Roupp was recalled from Sacramento, whereas Spencer Howard was designated for assignment, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants recall Landen Roupp, place former top pitching prospect on waivers

The Giants now lead baseball with 350.2 innings pitched from the bullpen in 2024. Though, this does not include innings pitched with the use of an opener like Erik Miller, who has started seven games this season.

The pitching staff is taxed. There is no doubt about that. The Giants hope that Roupp can give them some much-needed innings. The right-handed hurler broke camp with the club despite never pitching above Triple-A.

In 10 appearances with San Francisco, Roupp tallied a 5.27 ERA with 12 strikeouts against eight walks in 13.2 frames. He continued to flash an excellent, 12-to-6 curveball that works both in the zone and as a chase pitch. However, he did not have quite the same feel with his sinker, which has a lot of movement.

Roupp was optioned back to Triple-A to get stretched out as a starter. However, he landed on the injured list with an elbow ailment. The righty pitcher began a rehab assignment with the ACL Giants and recorded five scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts.

It would have been nice for Roupp to continue to build up his arm strength to handle a starter's workload, but the Giants have a need in the pitching staff. This does mean that he should see some innings, especially while working as a bulk-innings reliever.

On the other side of the transaction, Spencer Howard was designated for assignment. He did not have any minor league options remaining, so he could not be sent down with being exposed to waivers first.

This is an unfortunate outcome for Howard. He had a few appearances where he looked good, but he struggled in his appearance against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night. Howard yielded six earned runs in 2.2 innings in a 14-7 loss.

Overall, the 27-year-old pitcher tallied a 5.63 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.83 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, and a 1.91 SO/W rate in 24 innings. He did a good job of soaking up some innings even if they were not always quality outings and it feels like another move could have been made. Howard now joins Trenton Brooks and Raymond Burgos as Giants players currently on the waiver wire.