BRONX, NY — A new locker popped up next to Sean Hjelle’s on Thursday with an unfamiliar name tag: Matt Beaty.
Hjelle, the 6-foot-11 righty who lit up spring training with a 1.59 ERA, wasn’t on the team. Beaty, the outfielder who hit .093 and whom the Kansas City Royals were comfortable shipping out for cash, was.
“We knew — and almost all Opening Days are like this — that there can be some last-second changes to a roster,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said from the visitor’s dugout. “The addition of Matt Beaty wasn’t a shock.”
Hjelle’s omission is a shock given his spring performance. He added muscle and increased his fastball velocity in the upper-90s consistently while maintaining strong command.
Hjelle has both starting and bullpen experience. But the Giants’ early schedule doesn’t require pitching depth.
“He genuinely did everything we could’ve asked in spring training,” Kapler said. “This is a roster construction thing on Opening Day and that can change.”
Beaty played in the Dodgers organization when Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler were in LA’s front office. Kapler said the left-handed hitter has been on the Giants’ radar for a couple years, and he provides a lefty bat off the bench.
The move came together, as Kapler indicated, in the 12th hour. Brett Wisely, a utility player, had been told Wednesday night that he was heading to Triple-A. By Thursday morning, Opening Day, plans changed and Wisely got added to the 26-man roster.
Adding Wisely and Beaty meant Hjelle and center fielder Bryce Johnson — two of SF’s top performers in the Cactus League — were left out. Johnson led both spring leagues in steals with 12, hit .310 and is a stellar defensive center fielder.
That doesn’t mean they’ll be on the outside forever, or even for long.
“Bryce is a pro and he understands that he’s going to make an impact on our roster this morning,” Kapler said. “Had a fantastic spring. Ran the bases really well, as we all saw. Made every possible push to be on our Opening Day roster. It got to the end, and it wasn’t right for Opening Day necessarily. But could be right at some other time.”
Because the Giants have two scheduled off-days in their first week, they could carry 14 position players and 12 pitchers. That configuration will likely shift back to a neutral 13-13 split for the majority of the season.
To carry Johnson, the Giants would’ve needed to add him to 40-man roster. SF created two spots by placing Luis González and Thomas Szapucki on the 60-day injured list. But another potential 60-day candidate, reliever Luke Jackson, got put on the 15-day IL.
Kapler didn’t indicate one way or another whether Jackson, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, is ahead of schedule.
- Wilmer Flores is starting at third base over David Villar, despite public messaging that Villar earned the inside track to an everyday role at the position. Kapler said that the Giants went with Flores, a veteran, because of the uniqueness of Opening Day and that Villar will play “regularly.”
- Two-time Gold Glover Roberto Pérez is starting at catcher, forming a battery with Logan Webb. Joey Bart, the homegrown product, made the roster along with C/OF Blake Sabol. Kapler said he anticipates all three of them spending time in the squat in the first few weeks.
- Kapler said he hasn’t given any thought to Yankees superstar Aaron Judge possibly joining the Giants since the 2022 American League MVP decided to return to the Yankees. The focus, Kapler said, is getting Judge out as much as possible.
- Veteran outfielder Stephen Piscotty requested his release and became a free agent.
- Blake Sabol is starting in left field Thursday, becoming the 17th different left fielder in the past 17 years to start at the position. The streak runs all the way back to Barry Bonds in 2007.
- Anthony Volpe, 21, is starting at shortstop for the Yankees. The New Jersey native rooted for the Yankees growing up and has a chance to have a Brandon Crawford-like career at the position.
