It felt like a matter of if, not when, the San Francisco Giants were going to make a move looking to find more production at first base.
LaMonte Wade Jr. has been the most disappointing player on the team this year, unable to get going offensively despite being healthy.
He produced back-to-back campaigns with an OPS+ of 120, but was producing at half of that level in 2025 with an OPS+ of 59. His slash line of .167/.275/.271 with only one home run, eight doubles and two triples left a lot to be desired.
With the veteran showing no signs of getting on track, the team decided it was time to make a change.
On Wednesday, it was shared by Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area that the Giants had designated Wade for assignment as part of a massive roster shake-up.
Big roster shakeup: LaMonte Wade Jr. and Sam Huff were DFA'd, Christian Koss was optioned.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) June 4, 2025
Dominic Smith was signed and will be on the active roster tonight. Outfielder Daniel Johnson and catcher Andrew Knizner were called up from Triple-A.
Also being designated for assignment is backup catcher Sam Huff, who hasn’t been producing much behind starter Patrick Bailey, whose struggles at the plate are frustrating but are made up for with his incredible impact defensively.
Second baseman Christian Koss was also optioned to Triple-A, with Tyler Fitzgerald healthy and back in the lineup.
Taking the place of those players on the roster will be Dominic Smith, who was signed to a deal and will be on the San Francisco active roster tonight for their game with the San Diego Padres.
A former first-round pick of the New York Mets, Smith has yet to appear in an MLB game this year but has been productive with the New York Yankees' Triple-A team, producing a .255/.333/.448 slash line with eight home runs, six doubles, one triple and 28 RBI to go along with four stolen bases.
Joining him on the Giants are two players promoted from Triple-A Sacramento: outfielder Daniel Johnson and catcher Andrew Knizner.
San Francisco is certainly hoping the new faces can provide a spark for an offense that is approaching an embarrassing franchise record with their inability to consistently score runs.
The Giants are just patiently awaiting the arrival of top prospect Bryce Eldridge, who was recently promoted to Triple-A.
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