SF Giants place speedy outfielder on waivers following Adrian Houser signing

The SF Giants already made a pair of roster moves this week. They made another on Friday, as Wade Meckler was designated for assignment for make room for Adrian Houser.

SF Giants have one more roster move looming following reported Adrian Houser signing

Earlier this week, the Giants signed Jason Foley to a one-year deal. Foley was non-tendered by the Detroit Tigers in November.

For about 24 hours, they had 41 players listed on their 40-man roster. That was until they designated outfielder Joey Wiemer for assignment.

The Giants will have to made another corresponding roster move for the Adrian Houser signing. Houser has agreed to join San Francisco on a two-year, $22 million deal. This includes a club option for a third season.

The veteran pitcher is coming off a career year, where he pitched to a 3.31 ERA in 21 starts split between the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. Across nine major league seasons, he has recorded a 4.06 ERA.

The areas of the 40-man roster that were most vulnerable right now include the pitchers and outfielders.

Wade Meckler was subtracted from the 40-man roster. He had a meteoric rise through the minors in 2023, leading to a brief promotion to the major league club. The speedy outfielder has not appeared in the majors since then due in part to injuries.

Meckler posted a .760 OPS with one home run and 32 RBI in 401 plate appearances with the Sacramento River Cats in 2025. He split time evenly between all three outfield positions, and even got a few starts at second base.

The Giants had hoped that they could find a role for Meckler, but it is a tough roster fit given that he is better suited as a corner outfielder but with no power upside. That creates a very narrow path for him to stick in the majors.

Even after placing Joey Wiemer and Meckler on waivers, they still have a lot of outfielders and few with a defined role for the 2026 roster. Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos are the only outfielders with a clear role next season.

After that, Luis Matos, Justin Dean, and Jerar Encarnación are now the most vulnerable. Dean is a glove-first outfielder with limited offensive upside. Meckler has not appeared in the majors since 2023. Encarnación and Matos are bat-first options, but without much of a track record against major league pitching.