SF Giants trim spring training roster for 4th consecutive day

The SF Giants have been trimming the camp roster in bits and pieces recently as they announced a pair of roster cuts on Monday. According to Evan Webeck of the Bay Area News Group, Sam Long and R.J. Dabovich were among the latest cuts.

SF Giants trim spring training roster for 4th consecutive day

Long was optioned to the minors due to the fact that he is on the 40-man roster, whereas Dabovich was reassigned to minor league came. The outcome is the same, but the process is slightly different for either pitcher.

The roster move with Long brings the total number of players on the 40-man roster down in camp to 35. If we assume that Thomas Szapucki, Cole Waites, and Luke Jackson begin the year on the injured list and that someone like Luis Matos is eventually optioned as well, you can see that maybe 5 - 6 players on the 40-man roster are fighting for a chance on the Opening Day roster.

Some of those players include Brett Wisely, Isan Díaz, Tristan Beck, Sean Hjelle, and Keaton Winn. Not everyone will make the team, but one could possibly sneak onto the roster, especially if the Giants experience more injuries.

It is starting to feel like Long is on the roster bubble at this point. It did not look like there was an obvious role for the southpaw when spring training began and he did not help his case as he yielded six earned runs on 11 hits, including two home runs, across 5.2 frames in the Cactus League.

The 27-year-old has registered a 4.55 ERA in parts of two seasons with San Francisco. The Giants initially used him out of the rotation, but he spent the bulk of his time in the bullpen last year, making 22 of 28 appearances as a reliever.

For now, he will pitch for the Sacramento River Cats in a very tough Pacific Coast League. Long will be joined by R.J. Dabovich. Dabovich was a non-roster invitee in camp and he allowed two earned runs in 3.2 frames in spring training.

The bullpen prospect reached Triple-A in 2022 where he posted a 4.38 ERA with 31 stikeouts against 20 walks in 24.2 innings. The strikeout numbers were solid, but the command needs to improve.

The total number of players remaining in camp now stands at 51. Veteran players like Stephen Piscotty, Roberto Pérez, and Austin Wynns are a few of the non-roster players who are vying to break camp with the club. With only three weeks to go in spring training, the Giants will have to cut the camp roster nearly in half by the time the season begins.