The Giants bolstered their organizational pitching depth on Friday by sending right-handed reliever Matt Wisler and cash considerations to the Rays in exchange for left-hander Michael Plassmeyer, who will report to Double-A Richmond. 

Wisler, 28, was designated for assignment on Wednesday after logging a 6.05 ERA over 19 1/3 innings in 21 appearances for the Giants. 

Plassmeyer, 24, was selected in the fourth round of the 2018 Draft by the Mariners before being sent to the Rays as part of the Mike Zunino trade the following offseason. He recorded a 3.64 ERA over seven appearances (three starts) at Double-A Montgomery, striking out 33 and walking seven over 29 2/3 innings this year. 

“He’s an exciting young pitcher,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “He’s a guy that has all the characteristics and stuff to be a good player for us. 

“I think the role for him is going to be coming in and showing us that he can attack the strike zone and kind of do what we think is most important from an organization perspective, all of the things that Andrew Bailey and our pitching coaches stress: pushing the pace, attacking the zone, knowing your plan against opposing hitters. We’re just going to get to know him a little bit. That’s usually what happens when you acquire a new pitcher -- or a new player, for that matter.”  

Plassmeyer should have a chance to pitch out of Richmond’s rotation, as the Flying Squirrels recently lost two starters -- left-hander Sammy Long and right-hander Matt Frisbee -- to promotions. Long, 25, struck out seven over four-plus innings in his Major League debut on Wednesday, and Frisbee, 24, was bumped to Triple-A Sacramento last week after posting a 1.24 ERA over five starts for the Flying Squirrels. 

Long could be available to make his second Major League appearance on Saturday, when the Giants are scheduled to make up Thursday’s postponed game with a doubleheader at Nationals Park. Kevin Gausman is expected to start the first game, but Kapler said the Giants will likely go with a bullpen game in the nightcap.

Giants announce operational changes at Oracle Park
The state of California will officially reopen beginning on June 15, meaning sports venues will be allowed to operate at full capacity without social distancing. The Giants are expecting to transition back to a more traditional ballpark environment on June 25, when they’ll return to full capacity in the annual Bay Bridge Series against the A’s. 

In addition to more relaxed entry requirements for fans -- proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test will no longer be required -- there will be one notable change to the ballpark beginning on June 25. The Giants announced that the right-field viewing area on the port walk along McCovey Cove, which had been covered during the pandemic-shortened, 60-game season last year, will be reopened to allow fans to peek inside the stadium. Many observers believed that the closing of the archways affected the wind patterns at Oracle Park and allowed the ball to more easily carry out to right field in 2020, though outfielder Alex Dickerson recently disputed that notion.  

“It’s not as much the ballpark playing well, it’s our guys hitting well,” Dickerson said. “I’ve been saying that the last two years. You guys have been making up a bunch of stuff about putting a tarp up and it’s traveling better. We’re hitting the ball much harder.”