San Francisco Giants Make Strategic Roster Moves
The San Francisco Giants have made significant changes to their roster, designating veteran first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment and signing former first overall draft pick Dominic Smith to a Major League contract. These moves add to other strategic decisions aimed at strengthening the team.
In addition to Wade Jr., catcher Sam Huff was also designated for assignment, while infielder Christian Koss was sent to Triple-A Sacramento. These changes aim to optimize the lineup and improve the team’s performance.In related moves, the Giants selected outfielder Daniel Johnson and catcher Andrew Knizner from Sacramento. These additions seek to bring freshness and competitiveness to the team.
LaMonte Wade Jr., 31, was playing on a one-year contract worth $5 million. With a career batting average of .238, Wade Jr. was struggling, batting just .167 in 50 games with one home run and 15 RBIs. He was in his fifth season with the Giants, batting .240 with 52 home runs in 488 games. Wade Jr. has a career OPS of .742, with 54 home runs and 182 RBIs with the Minnesota Twins (2019-20) and the Giants. He was selected in the ninth round of the 2015 draft by the Twins. Dominic Smith, 29, opted out of his minor league contract with the New York Yankees on Sunday. He played in 93 games with the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds in 2024, batting .233 with six home runs and 34 RBIs. Smith has a career batting average of .246, with 64 home runs and 259 RBIs with four teams, most notably the New York Mets from 2017-22. He was selected 11th overall by the Mets in the 2013 draft. Huff, 27, was batting .208 with two home runs in 20 games this season, his first in San Francisco. He played in 78 games with the Texas Rangers over four seasons. Koss, 27, made his major league debut on April 1 and is batting .219 in 29 games. Knizner, 30, has yet to appear in a Major League game this season, batting .378 with 11 doubles and a 1.032 OPS in 31 games in Triple-A Rochester and Sacramento. He was released by the Washington Nationals last month. Batting .210 with 18 home runs in 290 Major League games with the St. Louis Cardinals (2019-23) and the Texas Rangers (2024). Johnson, 29, is batting .272 with six home runs in 26 games in Sacramento. He is batting .200 with four home runs in 36 major league games, 35 of them with the Cleveland Guardians (2020-21).
