The Giants announced their 26-man NLDS roster Thursday, with Johnny Cueto left off and Alex Dickerson and Steven Duggar making the cut.
Teams are permitted to carry a taxi squad of players in case of injury, but if a player needs to be replaced, they’re then ineligible for the rest of that round and the subsequent round — if there is one.
As expected, first baseman Brandon Belt is not on the NLDS roster due to his fractured thumb. Rosters reset after each round, and he’ll be considered for the NLCS roster, pending how his recovery progresses. Belt has said that the NLCS remains his goal.
Roster crunches are tough on any team, but this Giants team — with seemingly every player making contributions en route to a 107-win season — had particularly tough choices. Manager Gabe Kapler said he wanted to reward as many contributors are possible, but any time there’s tough decisions, “hard conversations” follow.
“Obviously everybody wants to be a part of this, and we’ll do our best to ensure everyone feels a part of this,” Kapler said Oct. 5. “Especially guys who have contributed all season long. And at the same time, whenever you’re talking about cutting down a roster a little bit, that means there are going to be a few people that are disappointed. We just don’t take those conversations lightly at all.”
The Giants will enter the NLDS with 12 pitchers, two catchers, six infielders and six outfielders. The roster includes:
Pitchers:
- Logan Webb
- Kevin Gausman
- Anthony DeSclafani
- Alex Wood
- Camilo Doval
- Jake McGee
- Kervin Castro
- Tyler Rogers
- Jarlin García
- José Álvarez
- Dominic Leone
- Zack Littell
Batters:
- Brandon Crawford
- Buster Posey
- Evan Longoria
- Kris Bryant
- Darin Ruf
- LaMonte Wade Jr.
- Mike Yastrzemski
- Steven Duggar
- Wilmer Flores
- Tommy La Stella
- Curt Casali
- Austin Slater
- Donovan Solano
- Alex Dickerson