Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
It sounds like a rare instance in which a person is happy to leave Aruba.
Aruban Chadwick Tromp, a catcher who was a non-roster invite to spring training 1.0, is heading to camp 2.0 in San Francisco, he announced on social media. He will be the 52nd addition to the 60-player pool as the Giants weigh who else they should leave room for.
If Hunter Bishop can recover from the coronavirus well, he would be in line for a spot. First-round catcher Patrick Bailey reportedly will soon sign and join the pool, so there would be six slots left. Of course, a player can be removed from the pool, but the Giants would then risk losing him as he would be exposed to waivers.
Lets get it! AUA ✈️ SF
— Chadwick Tromp (@trompicalstorm) July 1, 2020
Tromp, a 25-year-old free-agent signing from the Reds, becomes the fifth catcher in the mix, behind Buster Posey, Joey Bart, Rob Brantly and Tyler Heineman, with only Posey on the 40-man and the backup spot between Brantly and Heineman. With Bailey expected to join the crew, catching depth will be imperative just to catch bullpen sessions and successfully host scrimmages in the satellite camp in Sacramento. If the Giants have any plans of getting Bart reps at first base, too, there is a greater need for another catcher.
For Tromp, who fits in among the quirky backup-catcher set, himself a co-winner of the rookie talent show, this will be another opportunity to prove he belongs, even if he likely won’t get that chance this year. He has yet to debut in MLB, stalling in Triple-A thus far but regarded for having good plate discipline.