The Giants are adding another fireballing reliever to their bullpen to pair with Camilo Doval.
San Francisco selected Cole Waites’ contract on Monday in a series of roster moves. Waites, 24, has graduated all the way from High-A Eugene to the Majors in a single year. The righty has discarded hitters throughout the minor leagues with a fastball that touches 100 mph.
Willie Calhoun, a left-handed hitting outfielder, was also called up and will start at designated hitter Monday. In corresponding moves, the Giants placed infielder Tommy La Stella on the 10-day injured list with neck spasms, optioned Austin Dean and designated Patrick Mazeika for assignment.
La Stella’s playing time has diminished recently, and an extended IL stint could spell the end of his Giants tenure; the oft-injured veteran is owed $11.5 million next season and may not be in SF’s plans going forward.
But immediately, Waites could provide a jolt.
MLB.com ranks Waites as the Giants’ 29th best prospect, two spots below David Villar. Starting a season so deep in the minors as a 24-year-old likely factored into Waites’ relatively low evaluation.
Waites rocketed through the Giants’ system. He reached Low-A in mid-August of last year, then spent just 13 games in High-A, 18 in Double-A and six with the River Cats. The Giants value dominating every level of competition, and Waites did just that, posting an overall 1.99 ERA and 16.6 strikeouts per nine innings in the minors.
In six games with Sacramento, Waites threw seven scoreless innings, striking out 10 and walking three.
The reliever was with the team in Chicago on the taxi squad, but wasn’t activated. More opportunities in the bullpen have opened up now that San Francisco released veteran Dominic Leone and are using September as more of an audition than they would normally.
The Giants will need to overhaul a bullpen that went from MLB-best to bottom third from 2021 to this season. Getting younger, with relievers with minor league options for flexibility, could become more of a priority.
Waites will get the chance to prove he could fit into that picture.