Giants announce first round of roster cuts

On Monday, the Giants announced the first round of players being optioned or reassigned to minor league camp. There were few surprises, based on the current needs of the team.

The non-roster invites being reassigned to minor league camp are pitchers Tyler Cyr, Jose Flores, Madison Younginer and Dereck Rodriguez, as well as infielder Alen Hanson.

Players being optioned to minor league camp are pitchers Tyler Herb, Pierce Johnson, Chase Johnson, Reyes Moronta, Steven Okert and D.J. Snelten, as well as catcher Aramis Garcia and second baseman Miguel Gomez.

The only somewhat surprising name on that list would be Okert, who has had fairly significant time in the majors, however, as Alex Pavlovic writes:

Okert allowed just one run in five appearances but the Giants have Tony Watson set as their top left-hander and Josh Osich is throwing as well as anyone in camp.

So there isn’t really a place for him at the moment, however we all know that can change quickly. Pavlovic also mentions Gomez as a potential bench bat call-up later this year.

Notably absent from this preliminary list of cuts are players competing for utility infielder and outfield backup positions, as well as those hoping for a shot at breaking into the starting rotation. So we should see the real competition start ramping up from here.

With these cuts, the Giants whittle their spring training roster down from 60 to 47 with just over two weeks before the season is set to start.