About 30 minutes before the Sacramento River Cats began their Saturday evening contest at Raley Field, a lineup change was announced.
The team’s starting shortstop and leadoff hitter Orlando Calixte was a late scratch, as the Giants’ AAA-affiliate would have to make do without his services.
The decision to scratch Caliste didn’t come from River Cats’ manager Dave Brundage, but instead from higher-ups in the Giants’ organization, who chose to send Calixte across the country and have him serve as San Francisco’s 26th man in Sunday’s split doubleheader in Washington.
The 25-year-old has the versatility to play both in the infield and outfield and will almost certainly start the second contest of Sunday’s doubleheader after Calixte was not in the lineup in game one.
A rule adopted in 2012 by Major League Baseball states that teams are allowed to add a 26th player to their roster for doubleheaders. In this specific circumstance, because the game was scheduled less than 48 hours in advance, Calixte is only eligible to participate in the second game of the day, according to Major League rules. Had the Giants and Nationals known about the doubleheader prior to the weekend, Calixte could have played in both games.
Calixte is hitting .246 with 13 home runs for AAA Sacramento this season, while he’s recorded just five hits in 33 at-bats with the Major League club.