The Giants added three young prospects to their 40-man roster, preventing them from being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.
Right-handed pitchers Trevor McDonald and Erik Miller, as well as southpaw Kai-Wei Teng, are now on San Francisco’s 40-man roster, which now stands at 39. Miller and Teng have the most experience at Triple-A, meaning they’re the most likely to contribute to the big-league club in 2024.
Shortstop Aeverson Arteaga, outfielder Grant McCray and reliever R.J. Dabovich are among the Rule 5 eligible prospects not added to the roster, meaning another team could select them in the draft.
McDonald, 22, hasn’t pitched above A-ball and had his last season cut short by injuries, but has a high ceiling. In 37.2 innings with the Eugene Emeralds last year, he posted a 0.96 ERA with 39 strikeouts to eight walks.
McDonald has both starting and relief experience in the minors. Miller is more of a traditional reliever. Out of the bullpen for the River Cats last year, he registered a 2.77 ERA in 52 innings.
Teng, meanwhile, was less effective at Triple-A as he battled command issues. But upper-minors starting pitching depth is valuable, and his numbers were likely inflated by the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
The Giants are in need of a major roster reimagining, so their 40-man roster won’t stay this full for long. They’ll have to designate players for assignment in order to clear room for free agent acquisitions or incoming players via trade. Players on the back-end of their 40-man roster who could be liable for DFA or trade include Joey Bart, Sean Hjelle, Cole Waites, Thomas Szapucki, José Cruz and Randy Rodriguez.