Loss to Padres Prompts Giants Shocking Roster Overhaul, Including Former Padre's Return

The Giants made a dramatic roster overhaul prior to Wednesday's game against the Padres in San Francisco.

On the heels of back-to-back one-run victories by the Padres, San Francisco designated veteran first baseman/DH LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment and backup catcher Sam Huff. They also optioned infielder Christian Koss to the minors.

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Dom Smith, who recently opted out of his minor league contract with the New York Yankees, signed a major league contract and will ostensibly take Wade's spot in the Giants' first-base rotation.

Also new to the Giants' roster are former Padres outfielder Daniel Johnson and journeyman catcher Andrew Knizner.

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"We're not satisfied with the production," Buster Posey, the Giants' first-year president of baseball operations, said Tuesday (via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). "We're trying to exhaust all options."

Johnson, who appeared in four Cactus League games with the San Diego Padres in their 2023 spring training camp, and split that season between Triple-A El Paso and Double-A San Antonio, signed a minor league contract with the Giants in May.

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Johnson, 29, began the season in the independent Mexican League and had a .429/512/.943 slash line in 10 games with Caliente de Durango.

Wade, in his fifth year in San Francisco, was slashing .167/.275/.271. He was hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance in the series Monday. The Padres won that game, 1-0, in 10 innings on a sacrifice fly by Jose Iglesias.

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Tuesday, the Padres were trailing 2-0 in the ninth inning when they sent seven men to the plate against Giants closer Camilo Doval. Two runs scored on a Manny Machado single, and an RBI single by Jake Cronenworth in the 10th inning gave the Padres a 3-2 victory.

Against the backdrop of two emotionally wrenching losses, the timing of the Giants' roster shakeup is understandable. San Francisco is 11-12 in one-run games this year; the Padres are 13-5.

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More importantly, the Padres' back-to-back victories on the road increased the gap between second and third place in the National League West. San Francisco is now four games behind first-place Los Angeles and three games behind the second-place Padres.

The series finale between the two teams is set for 6:45 p.m. PT Saturday at Oracle Park.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.