The Giants announced 14 more roster cuts on Monday following the news that No. 4 overall prospect, SP Tyler Beede, had been optioned to AAA Sacramento. Outfielders Mac Williamson and Austin Slater, along with pitchers Derek Law and Roberto Gomez have also been optioned and will join Beede with the River Cats. Trevor Brown (C), Orlando Calixte (IF), Chase d’Arnaud (IF), Joan Gregorio (RHP), Kyle Jensen (IF), Justin O’Conner (C), Hector Sanchez (C), Chris Shaw (OF), Andrew Suarez (LHP), and Jose Valdez (RHP) have been reassigned to minor league camp.
There are 31 players remaining in the big league camp, leaving six more players to be cut before the Giants’ opener against the Dodgers on March 29.
Here’s a list of the current roster per a team press release:
Cutting Calixte and a’Arnaud would seem to indicate that Kelby Tomlinson has all but locked up a spot on the 25-man roster as the club’s backup utility infielder. As pointed out by Andrew Baggarly, nobody else in camp has played more than eight innings at shortstop.
Law and Williamson are the biggest surprises on this list, though neither were considered a lock to make the team. Williamson had a hot start to camp and leads the club with 14 hits, but was 0-for-9 at the plate in his past five appearances. Despite starting last season in a left-field platoon with Jarrett Parker, Williamson was considered a long shot to make the roster, competing with the likes of Steven Duggar, Gregor Blanco, Gorkys Hernandez, and Parker for the fourth outfield spot.
Law probably had a better shot to make the roster heading into camp than Williamson, but was knocked around in six appearances, posting a 6.43 ERA. The struggles were a continuation of a rough 2017 campaign (5.06 ERA) after a breakout rookie season in 2016 (2.13 ERA).
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