SF Giants release a trio of pitchers from the upper minors

The SF Giants trimmed organizational pitching depth in the minors earlier this week. Veteran pitchers Kyle Cody and Cody Stashak have been released from Sacramento's roster, whereas Ben Madison has been released from Richmond's roster according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants release a trio of pitchers from the upper minors

Minor league rosters are full around this time of year, so when a team makes an addition, it usually leads to a corresponding move. In the case of the Giants, they recently added Ryan Watson to Sacramento's roster following a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.

Plus, Spencer Howard reunited with the club on a minor league deal and veteran hurler Tyler Matzek could be nearing a return.

The Giants had to make a few moves to create roster space. In this case, it was both Stashak and Cody. The Giants signed Stashak at the end of last season and re-signed him in the winter with a camp invite. The righty pitcher has struggled to stay on the mound due to back and shoulder injuries, but he has been a quality reliever when healthy, posting a 4.13 ERA across four major league seasons.

The 30-year-old pitcher worked out of the bullpen with the Sacramento River Cats in 2024. He tallied a 5.45 ERA with more strikeouts (44) than innings pitched (36.1).

On the other hand, Cody was brought in at the beginning of the year on a minor league deal. He worked his way up the minor league ladder, making stops with four different Giants affiliates. This included a brief stint with the River Cats where he allowed four earned runs across four innings. The veteran pitcher has recorded a 3.71 ERA in parts of two seasons in the majors with the Texas Rangers.

Lastly, the Giants released Ben Madison from Richmond's roster. He was a ninth-round pick by the club in the 2018 draft out of Central Baptist College. In parts of five minor league seasons, he posted a 3.73 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 12.7 K/9, 2.24 SO/W rate. This includes a 6.62 ERA in 23 outings with the Flying Squirrels this season.

The right-handed hurler has a mid-90's fastball that rides through the zone with an above-average slider that moves vertically more so than having two-plane movement. He did struggle with controlling the zone. Madison is now a free agent for the first time in his career.