BREAKING NEWS; Giants reassign Mason Black and Juan Sánchez

Blake Sabol and Ismael Munguia also saw their camps come to an end.

With Opening Day just two days away, the San Francisco Giants have made another round of camp cuts, getting the roster closer and closer to being set. Prior to their preseason finale against the Oakland A’s, the team announced that utility player Blake Sabol had been optioned, while outfielder Ismael Munguia, right-handed starting pitcher Mason Black, and left-handed reliever Juan Sánchez had been reassigned to Minor League camp.

Sabol was always a long shot to make the roster out of camp, after the team signed Tom Murphy in free agency. Some AAA seasoning will do him some good after the Rule 5 Draft rules forced the Giants to keep him on the roster all year. He’ll provide a depth option at catcher, designated hitter, the outfield, and likely first base should the team suffer any injuries.

Munguia was one of the best stories of the spring, while playing in his first big league camp. He sported a blistering 1.074 OPS in 42 plate appearances, with five stolen bases and quality defense. Despite being a non-roster invitee who yet to play in AAA, Munguia far outlasted 40-man options Heliot Ramos and Wade Meckler in camp; in fact, he was the last outfielder standing other than Jung Hoo Lee, Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Conforto, Austin Slater, and Luis Matos. Munguia, a lovable and charismatic left-handed hitter, won the 2024 Barney Nugent Award.

Black also was extremely impressive this spring, and for a while looked likely to earn a fill-in rotation spot following the injuries to Tristan Beck and Keaton Winn. The signing of Blake Snell, and the impending returns of Winn and Alex Cobb have pushed Black a little further down the depth chart, but he’ll surely make his MLB debut this year. It might even happen in the next week — if the Giants plan on using Black in their fourth or fifth game of the season, it would make sense to reassign him and not clear the 40-man or active roster spot until that game. So this camp cut might not even be an indictment at all.

Sánchez is perhaps the most surprising. While no one viewed him as having a shot to make the team when camp began, the young lefty arrived with increased velocity and dazzled all spring long. With Ethan Small suffering an injury, Amir Garrett getting released, and Erik Miller getting optioned, Sánchez was the lone remaining southpaw to pair with Taylor Rogers in the bullpen. Perhaps the Giants have a trade lined up, or maybe they’ll go with just one lefty. Most likely, however, is that Miller will make the roster despite being optioned; after all, he’s had a strong camp, too.

The team is rounding into shape, and we can probably expect a few more moves to be announced after Tuesday’s game. A few questions remain: Which pitchers are healthy? Which pitchers will replace those who aren’t yet ready? Is Austin Slater a go? Which two of the Nick Ahmed/Marco Luciano/Tyler Fitzgerald trio get the nod?

But we’re getting much closer. And the fact that Sabol, Munguia, Black, and Sánchez made it this late in camp before departing is a testament to the springs they had.