Giants Designate LaMonte Wade Jr. Amid Roster Shakeup

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants made significant roster changes Wednesday, parting ways with first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and backup catcher Sam Huff in a desperate attempt to improve their struggling offense.

Wade, 31, was designated for assignment after hitting just .167 with one home run over 50 games this season. He has batted .240 with 52 home runs and 176 RBIs during his five seasons with the Giants. Giants manager Bob Melvin noted Wade’s struggles and mentioned the need for a change.

“It was tough,” Melvin said. “Look, LaMonte’s being realistic too when he said, ‘I get it, I haven’t performed very well.’ We felt like we needed to make some moves.”

Wade was instrumental in the Giants’ success in the 2021 season but failed to maintain his earlier productivity. Manager Bob Melvin delivered the news to Wade personally, acknowledging the difficulty of the decision.

“It was a difficult decision,” Melvin said. “Wade is still a buddy. It wasn’t easy, but you got to get some offense going.”

Dominic Smith, who has signed a major league contract, will be stepping into Wade’s role. Smith, 29, opted out of his minor league deal with the Yankees, where he batted .255 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 45 games.

“I’m just here to try to do my job,” Smith stated. “If I consistently hit the ball hard, I’ll get the results that I want.”

In further roster moves, the Giants optioned infielder Christian Koss to Triple-A Sacramento and selected outfielder Daniel Johnson and catcher Andrew Knizner from the same team. Knizner, 30, had not played in the majors this season but has shown promise in the minors with a .378 batting average.

The Giants’ offensive struggles have been noticeable, as they have averaged fewer than four runs per game for 16 consecutive games, their longest such streak since 1965.

“I think we all believe that we’re better than what we’ve been with the bats the last two-and-a-half, three weeks,” Melvin said.