
Churn!
After avoiding it for the start of the season, the San Francisco Giants are finally back in full-on churn mode. And it’s because the situation keeps dictating it. The Giants made another roster move on Wednesday before their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, calling up right-handed pitcher Mason Black, and optioning right-handed pitcher Carson Seymour to AAA Sacramento.
The move comes a day after Seymour pitched three innings and gave up three very loud home runs in the team’s 8-2 loss, though it likely wasn’t his performance that sent him back to the Minor Leagues. Instead, it was the fact that the Giants pitching is not quite as indestructible as it was early in the year. And Seymour, who has been developing as a starter, not only pitched 53 innings on Tuesday, but also threw on inning on Sunday in his MLB debut. He’ll need a few days off before he’s ready to pitch again, and the Giants can’t afford to have bullpen arms that are out of commission.
So up comes Black, who was scheduled to start on Wednesday for Sacramento, but instead gets the much preferable (and more lucrative) assignment of hanging out in a Major League bullpen. Black isn’t having the best year — he has a 4.75 ERA and a 5.40 FIP in AAA, with 42 walks in 72 innings — but he’s a very fresh arm, and one who has some Major League reps already in his past. Black threw 36.1 innings for the Giants last year in his debut season, with a 6.44 ERA. If and when he pitches for the Giants this week, it will mark his season debut for the team.