Giants place Wade on 10-day IL in series of roster moves that originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – A crushing injury and a looming bullpen matchup led to quite the roster shake-up Tuesday afternoon.
Tyler Fitzgerald returned after a red-hot week in Triple-A and the Giants also purchased the contracts of minor leaguers Spencer Howard and Trenton Brooks. LaMonte Wade Jr. went on the IL for the day after straining his left hamstring while running the bases, and the Giants also made Drew Pomeranz and Ryan McKenna open spots for Howard and Brooks.
The moves add some balance to a roster that still needed a left-handed bat after Wade went down. The 28-year-old Brooks was acquired from the Oakland Athletics last summer in exchange for reliever Sean Newcomb. He had a .426 OBP in Triple-A and has a similar profile to Wade, who leads the majors in the category.
With McKenna, a versatile outfielder, gone, the Giants brought back Fitzgerald after he hit six home runs in six Triple-A games and won PCL Player of the Week honors. With Marco Luciano and Brett Wisely both still active, Fitzgerald expects to see most of his time in the outfield and as a pinch-runner.
Howard was able to throw several innings Tuesday night after opener Erik Miller. The 27-year-old is a former second-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies and had a 5.90 ERA in Triple-A with 57 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings.
McKenna had just six at-bats after being acquired from the Baltimore Orioles, but he helped the Giants to a comeback win in New York by stealing second base after running for Wilmer Flores. Pomeranz was signed during the road trip, but did not play during his second stint with the Giants.
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