Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
It took Nick Tropeano longer than he hoped, but the 30-year-old is getting his chance.
The Giants called up the righty for perhaps a spot start, perhaps some lengthy bullpen work in the wake of Logan Webb’s injury and may send Tropeano to the Oracle Park mound Saturday for his season debut against the Dodgers — no pressure, Nick.
Because Tropeano was not on the 40-man roster, the Giants designated Trevor Hildenberger for assignment after picking up the righty last week — another attempt at sneaking him through waivers — and optioned struggling Camilo Doval to Triple-A.
Tropeano first: Now embarking upon his seventh big league season, the well-traveled veteran appeared to find himself last year, when he upped his slider and curveball usage and dominated out of Pittsburgh’s bullpen, allowing two runs in 15 2/3 innings (1.15 ERA) while striking out 19. He impressed in spring training, but the Giants surprisingly broke camp without adding any non-rostered arm to the group. He is the second from that non-roster righty crew to get his chance, and Zack Littell (1.04 ERA in 8 2/3 innings) has run with his.
Tropeano is stretched out enough to take down more than a couple innings — he went five innings and 88 pitches last Thursday with Sacramento — but the Giants are not calling him Saturday’s starter until they get past Friday. Alex Wood is starting against his old team to begin the Dodgers series, and if something goes sideways and Tropeano is needed right away, they would have to scrounge for Saturday’s pitching plan.
Tropeano “performed very well for us during spring training, and he’s a guy we believe in,” Kapler said over Zoom.
Kapler wanted to send the same message about Doval. The righty with electric stuff has struggled through his first 10 2/3 innings — his first 10 2/3 innings above High-A ball, too — in allowing nine earned runs, including four home runs. Kapler said that he believes “he’s going to be back” this season.
“He’s really done a lot of what we want him to do. We asked him to throw more strikes. He looked like a guy who wasn’t deer-in-the-headlights but could actually execute his pitches,” the manager said of Doval, whose stuff is not in question. “We asked him to control the running game, he did that very well.”
Eyebrows were raised when Joey Bart was removed from a Sacramento game after five innings Thursday — the same day Curt Casali was plunked in the elbow — but Kapler said Bart experienced groin tightness. He did not make it sound serious.
Casali, meanwhile, is “good to go” and backing up Buster Posey.
