SAN FRANCISCO -- The expanded roster brought two more hitters to the Giants roster, a familiar face and a new one.
The Giants on Thursday called up third baseman David Villar from Triple-A and added outfielder Lewis Brinson to the active roster after acquiring him from the Houston Astros for cash considerations. Brinson was able to be acquired this late after the trade deadline because he spent the whole season in the minors and was not on Houston's 40-man roster.
Brinson, 28, is a former top 20 overall prospect who hit just .199 in parts of five big league seasons with the Miami Marlins but had a .299/.356/.574 slash line in Triple-A this season for the Astros. He also has an interesting history with the Giants.
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Brinson was a highly-touted second-year player in 2018 when he tied a June game at Oracle park with a single off then-closer Hunter Strickland. The Giants went on to lose the game and Strickland yelled at Brinson as he was coming off the field, upset with how he had celebrated the hit. As he walked back to the clubhouse, Strickland punched a door and fractured his pitching hand.
A lot has changed at Oracle Park since then, but the Giants unfortunately find themselves in a similar situation in the standings. They will use September in part to take a look at younger players, and Brinson jumped the line after getting acquired. The Giants have homegrown outfielders Heliot Ramos and Bryce Johnson at Triple-A, but Brinson will get the first shot in September.
Villar has been at Oracle Park since Monday, sitting on the taxi squad in case Evan Longoria's hamstring strain got worse. He was an expected September addition and now will get a second shot to prove he's part of the solution in 2023. Villar has a 1.022 OPS and 27 homers in Triple-A this season but posted just a .623 OPS and one homer in 23 appearances earlier this summer.
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Teams are limited to just two call-ups now, but the Giants do expect to see other minor leaguers in September. Earlier in the week, manager Gabe Kapler mentioned right-hander Yunior Marte as someone who would likely join the big league roster soon.
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