SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants announced Sunday that infielder Christian Arroyo and right-hander Tyler Beede were reassigned to Minor League camp. Both left their mark before departing.
Arroyo, the organization's top position-player prospect, drilled a two-run, opposite-field homer to right in the ninth inning, making the final score in the Giants' 6-4 exhibition loss to Milwaukee more respectable. Beede, the Giants' No. 1 overall prospect, worked two scoreless innings.
Both are likely headed for Triple-A Sacramento -- one step away from the Majors, which they seem destined to reach.
Arroyo, ranked 89th in MLBPipeline.com's list of baseball's top 100 prospects, hit .278 (5-for-18) in Cactus League games and rarely looked overmatched. For now, said Arroyo, "it's time for me to get some ABs and get ready for the season."
Beede, rated No. 88 by MLBPipeline.com, posted a 0.96 ERA, allowing one run in 9 1/3 innings over five appearances. Groomed as a starting pitcher, Beede could be tried in relief -- which is often how clubs accelerate the process of developing a starter.
"He's a four-pitch guy. We have the confidence to use him at any point," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, citing Beede's mid-90s velocity. "I'm not saying [relieving] is what he's going to do, but it keeps his options open and ours, if we need some help in the 'pen."
The Giants also reassigned left-hander Kraig Sitton to Minor League camp and optioned infielder Orlando Calixte to Triple-A Sacramento. The moves left 42 players on the spring roster.
• Jeff Samardzija endured his second straight subpar start, allowing all six of Milwaukee's runs and nine hits while lasting four batters into the fifth inning.
"It gives you something to look back on and understand that you probably need to increase your endurance a little bit," said Samardzija, who has yielded 11 earned runs and 17 hits in 7 2/3 innings spanning his last two starts. Said Bochy, "He wasn't flat, but his pitches were."
• Outfielder Mac Williamson is sidelined indefinitely after sustaining a strained left quadriceps muscle. Bochy emphasized that Williamson, who's competing with Jarrett Parker for the left-field vacancy, must not be rushed back into action.
"I know a lot's at stake here," said Bochy. "We have to be smart about this."
• Right fielder Hunter Pence went 0-for-3, dipping his batting average to .125.
"He's still searching. It's pretty obvious," said Bochy, who suggested that Pence and any other hitter needing extra work might be asked to participate in a Minor League exhibition or two to sharpen his stroke.