© Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants optioned reliever Pierce Johnson and recalled infielder Kelby Tomlinson ahead of their series finale with the Colorado Rockies Wednesday evening.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy summoned Tomlinson to give shortstop Brandon Crawford the day off, meaning this could be only a one-day promotion. Tomlinson has bounced around from the big league club and Triple-A this year due to his struggles. He is slashing .216/.281/.270 with the Giants in 47 games this season.
Johnson has struggled mightily in recent appearances, allowing 12 runs in his past 13.6 innings. In his past 14 appearances, he has an 8.53 ERA.
The big news this week highlights the returns of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija. Earlier this week, Bochy delegated left-hander long-time starter Derek Holland to the bullpen to pave room for San Francisco’s returning No. 2 and 3 starters. Cueto is scheduled to start Thursday and Samardzija is slated for Saturday, which will be their first major league starts in more than a month after stints on the disabled list.
The Giants have not had a fully healthy pitching staff all year long, but that changes this week. They have stayed afloat, though, thanks to a successful run throughout the past two weeks. And despite losing their past two in Colorado, the Giants, 45-42, trail the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks by only 3.5 games entering Wednesday.
The Giants will look to avoid a sweep in Colorado in the final game of their six-game road trip Wednesday night.