And of course, call up Hayden Birdsong.
We’ve known since Tuesday afternoon that the San Francisco Giants had something special in store for Wednesday night: the Major League debut of arguably their best pitching prospect, right-hander Hayden Birdsong, who was drafted in the sixth round just two years ago. It’s a move that’s certainly fueled by the complete lack of healthy starting pitchers in the organization right now, but even though Birdsong has pitched just two games in AAA, it’s also a move that you can say he deserves.
And on Wednesday, a few hours before the game, the Giants made the news official.
Hayden Birdsong: San Francisco Giant pic.twitter.com/QmCW1hhusC
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 26, 2024
While we knew about the Birdsong news in advance, we didn’t know what the pair of corresponding moves would be, as San Francisco needed to clear a space on both the active roster and the 40-man roster. Now we know the moves: right-hander Mason Black has been optioned and left-hander Raymond Burgos has been designated for assignment.
Burgos was added to the roster on Monday and made his MLB debut, where he pitched quite well. He was optioned ahead of Tuesday’s game, with Black taking his spot and serving as emergency depth in case the planned bullpen game needed more arms. He’s been really struggling lately, so while the Giants are surely high on him long-term, they’re probably happy to not have to use him right now.
On the one hand, it’s a tough situation for Burgos, who finally got the call to the bigs just to fill a spot for a day and then be DFA’d. But The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly shed some light on the happier reality of the situation.
If he clears then he’s right back where he was 48 hours ago and he got to make his MLB debut after beginning the season with Guerreros de Oaxaca. Betting he’s cool with that.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) June 26, 2024
But now all eyes turn to Birdsong. He’s up for his MLB debut, and there’s always a chance that he’s up for good.