Let the youth movement begin.
That’s the statement the Giants’ front office made Tuesday morning as San Francisco called up reliever Kyle Crick, and optioned reliever Derek Law to AAA Sacramento.
A day after Law allowed four earned runs without getting an out in the Giants’ 9-0 loss to the Braves, he’s headed back to AAA while Crick is on his way to Atlanta to make his Major League debut.
Crick was the Giants’ second pick in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, and made a successful transition to the bullpen this season with the Sacramento River Cats after struggling as a Minor League starting pitcher in 2016.
Crick was drafted by the Giants out of Sherman High (Texas) with the 49th overall pick in 2011, and has spent parts of the last seven seasons working his way through the Giants’ system. Crick was considered one of the top prospects in the Giants’ system early in his Minor League career, but a 4-11 record and a 5.06 earned run average as a starter with AA Richmond last season sent his stock plummeting.
Though he began the 2017 season outside of the Giants’ Top 10 prospect rankings, an efficient season with the River Cats caught the attention of the Giants front office, which ushered him up to the big leagues on Tuesday.
After starting the season in the bullpen in AAA Sacramento, Crick compiled a 2.76 ERA in 24 appearances, racking up 39 strikeouts while issuing just 13 walks.
Having lost 16 of their last 20 games, the Giants are now short on bullpen depth as set-up man Hunter Strickland began serving a six-game suspension Monday. Strickland isn’t eligible to pitch again until Sunday at AT&T Park, and both Law and fellow reliever Josh Osich struggled Monday in Atlanta.
Law made his Major League debut with the Giants in 2016, and established himself as one of the more dependable relievers in San Francisco’s bullpen over the first two months of the season. However, Law allowed at least two earned runs in each of his last three appearances, and did not record an out against six Atlanta hitters in Monday’s loss.
The Giants are in the midst of a season-high seven-game losing streak, and after Monday’s loss, are now 20 games under .500.