The San Francisco Giants promoted lefty Seth Lonsway for his MLB debut to stabilize a reeling bullpen.
The San Francisco Giants felt they had to option Spencer Bivens after his two appearances this month didn't go according to plan.
The 32-year-old saw his ERA rise to 14.40 this season after he gave up eight earned runs in his last three innings of work.
Bivens has only appeared in lopsided games this year, so it's clear he was always at the bottom of the pecking order.
Prior to the team's doubleheader against the Arizona Diamondbacks, they announced that Bivens would be heading back to Triple-A Sacramento.
In his place, they'd be swapping his right-handed arm for a left-handed one in Seth Lonsway, a 27-year-old who will be making his big-league debut.
Giants prioritize rookies over struggling veterans
To say this season hasn't gone according to plan for the Giants may be an understatement. Time and time again they've either lost star players to injuries, or they've had no choice but to trade them as this 55-80 record simply isn't going to cut it.
Bivens gave up four earned runs in one inning of work on Wednesday, Aug. 26, in what just so happened to be the Giants' biggest collapse in franchise history.
Bivens absolutely contributed to that, and while he picked up a hold, that doesn't mean anything in the long run. That appearance gave him an ERA of 12.00, and his performance last night only made things worse.
The D-backs were able to get five hits off of Bivens in his two innings of work, and they turned that into four earned runs. Clearly, it's just not working for Bivens this season, and it's time to focus on Lonsway, someone who has a 5.95 ERA in 75.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
Lonsway's impending MLB debut
He may not be as young as a new cornerstone like Bryce Eldridge, but Lonsway provides the Giants with a fresh arm as they try to navigate a doubleheader against a team that is only half a game out of the final National League Wild Card spot.
The Giants' former sixth-round draft pick has a career 4.42 ERA in the minors, which covers 494.2 innings of work.
Lonsway was selected No. 176 overall back in 2021, so it's been a long road to the majors, but his name has finally been called.
Keep in mind, he's 1-5 at the Triple-A level this year with a 6.00 ERA in 72.0 innings, so it'll be interesting to see how his stuff translates to the majors.
