After Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija went down with injuries during Spring Training, the San Francisco Giants decided to use just four starting pitchers to start the regular season, as they had an early string of off days that would make pitching four starters on regular rest possible.
Those off days have now passed, however, and the Giants will require the services of a fifth starter for the first time this week against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
According to Chris Haft of MLB.com, that starter will be heralded prospect Tyler Beede, who will be making his major league debut.
It was originally assumed the fifth starter would pitch on Wednesday, but Haft’s source said Beede could start as soon as Tuesday. The club has not made an official announcement, and Johnny Cueto is currently listed as Tuesday’s starter.
Beede, the Giants’ first-round selection in 2014 (14th overall), hurled five innings Thursday in High-A San Jose, giving up just one hit and one run and retiring 11 straight batters after starting the game with two walks, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson.
The decision to call Beede up instead of fellow pitching prospect Andrew Suarez could be related to his current placement on the Giants’ 40-man roster, which Suarez is not a member of.
According to RotoWire, Beede will likely start just one game, as Samardzija is nearing a comeback from his pectoral muscle injury.