SAN FRANCISCO -- To no great surprise, the Giants altered their bench personnel Friday.
They optioned outfielder Mac Williamson to Triple-A Sacramento after he spent a week with the big league club and purchased the contract of infielder Conor Gillaspie from Sacramento. To clear room for Gillaspie on the 40-man roster, San Francisco transferred infielder Ehire Adrianza, who's sidelined with a broken left foot, from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL.
The Giants continue to believe that Williamson, a 25-year-old rookie, must play every day at this juncture of his career to maximize his skills. Manager Bruce Bochy took this stance during Spring Training and indicated last Sunday that he hadn't really changed his mind. Asked if he envisioned giving Williamson a chance to start during the Arizona series, Bochy replied, "I'll be honest. I don't see a start coming up in the next four days." Williamson went hitless in three pinch-hit appearances during his brief Giants stint.
By contrast, the 28-year-old Gillaspie, who has accumulated more than three years of Major League service time, fits the profile of a big league reserve more closely than Williamson does. An ideal bench player played at least semi-regularly at some juncture in his career; Gillaspie filled this role with the White Sox in 2013 and 2014, appearing in 134 and 130 games, respectively.
Gillaspie is experiencing a homecoming of sorts, having been selected by the Giants as a sandwich pick (37th overall) in the 2008 Draft.