The Giants shuffled their bullpen again Monday, recalling Carson Seymour from Triple-A Sacramento and optioning Wilkin Ramos back to Sacramento before a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. The move came after Ramos made just two major league appearances, while Seymour gets another look with the big club.
It is the kind of roster change that can look minor on paper and still matter right away. The Giants are trying to settle the relief mix before facing the Cubs, and the timing makes Seymour’s arrival part audition, part necessity.
Ramos had earned his shot with Sacramento, where he put up a 2.00 ERA in 27 innings with a 1.14 WHIP, 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings, a 3.86 strikeout-to-walk rate and a 61.4 percent ground ball rate. That work suggested a pitcher who could miss bats, keep the ball on the ground and give the Giants a different look out of the bullpen.
But the major league results turned quickly. Ramos did not record an out in his second outing against the Milwaukee Brewers while allowing three runs, and that followed two appearances that were enough for the Giants to send him back out. The club had just designated Logan Porter for assignment earlier in the week to create room for Ramos and Buddy Kennedy, and Porter later cleared waivers, was sent outright to Sacramento and chose free agency instead. Kennedy remained with the team.
Seymour arrives with a different kind of profile. He appeared in Friday’s 18-3 win over the Cubs, allowing three earned runs across three innings while throwing strikes, and he began the year in Sacramento after leaning heavily on his fastball there, using a version of it more than 80 percent of the time. For now, the Giants will see whether that approach plays at a higher level when the games matter more in a series that starts immediately.
The next question is whether Seymour can stick beyond the Cubs series. For the Giants, that answer will come fast, because the bullpen picture they chose for today may not be the one they carry into next week.
