Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Staff
The Rangers are scheduled to be throwing a lefty, Mike Minor, against the Giants on Friday.
Why is this significant? Perhaps the Giants will unveil their first Tromp/Pence lineup.
The Giants purchased the contract of catcher Chadwick Tromp before Tuesday’s home opener and designated Rob Brantly for assignment.
Tromp, a 25-year-old who had reached Triple-A in the Reds system before signing with the Giants as a minor league free agent, rode a hot summer training to a roster spot for the fifth game of the season.
The righty hitter homered three times in intrasquad games, showing rare power for a 5-foot-8 catcher, and now figures to turn switch-hitting Tyler Heineman into a lefty hitter with Tromp serving as his complement.
Gabe Kapler, amid Tromp’s eye-opening July in San Francisco, said is bat speed “is real” and called him a “very good leader behind the plate.”
Tromp, who joins Xander Bogaerts as the only active big leaguers from Aruba, is ecstatic:
Im lost at words. This is more than a dream come true. Thankyou god for showing me the way, and thankyou for giving me the strength and determination to wake up every day and go get it. This is just the beginning. 08/28/2020. WELCOME TO THE SHOW KID! @sfgiants pic.twitter.com/ntOMYnTKA4
— Chadwick Tromp (@trompicalstorm) July 28, 2020
The Giants will give Tromp a chance to impress, but he is not the catcher fans are waiting to see. Joey Bart is still at the satellite camp, and his chances of being called up soon may have been dented by the Marlins’ coronavirus outbreak; it’s possible the Giants will want to ensure this season is not in jeopardy before they begin his major league clock.
As for Brantly, it is another heartbreak for the 31-year-old who debuted in 2012 but has been up and (mostly) down from the majors to minors since. He didn’t make an appearance in the bigs in 2018, had a single at-bat with Kapler’s Phillies last year and has been DFA’d after one game, in which he went 0-for-3, threw out a runner at second and threw poorly on a throw-down, a throw Mauricio Dubon did not field cleanly.
The Giants updated various injuries around the team before their home opener against the Padres:
— Trevor Cahill (right index fingernail injury) will throw a bullpen session today.
— Yolmer Sanchez (back spasms) started baseball work “the last few days.”
— Brandon Belt (right Achilles tendinitis) and Evan Longoria (right oblique strain) are still on track to return “towards the end of this week.”
