Giants call up 2 from PCL champ River Cats

SAN FRANCISCO -- One day after helping Triple-A Sacramento clinch the Pacific Coast League championship, outfielder Mike Gerber and infielder Cristhian Adames were rewarded with a September callup from the Giants.

The Giants added the pair to their roster Saturday, designating infielder Corban Joseph for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Adames. Joseph, who was claimed off waivers from the A’s earlier this month, went 1-for-16 in an eight-game cameo with the Giants.

Adames, 28, signed a Minor League deal with the Giants in July after being released by the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate and batted .283 with an .881 OPS and six home runs over 43 games with Sacramento. He has not appeared in the Majors since 2017 with Colorado, where he hit .206 with a .561 OPS over 166 games in parts of four seasons.

A switch-hitter, Adames can also play all over the infield, though he primarily started at second and third base for the River Cats.

Gerber, 27, batted .308 with a .937 OPS and 26 home runs over 119 games with Sacramento. The left-handed hitter made his Giants debut in May and went 1-for-15 with a double in four games against the Reds. Manager Bruce Bochy said Gerber could be in the starting lineup against Marlins right-hander Elieser Hernandez on Sunday.

“Adames had a nice year down there when we got him and did a good job,” Bochy said. “Gerber was probably their MVP, the guy that was there all year except for the few days we called him up. He’s just a model of consistency. We’re rewarding him, too. Both of them will get a little playing time here.”

The River Cats defeated the Astros’ top affiliate in Round Rock, 7-5, on Friday night to secure a three-game sweep and claim the first Triple-A championship by a Giants farm club since the Phoenix Giants captured the PCL crown in 1977. Sacramento will now advance to face International League champ Columbus in the Triple-A National Championship Game on Tuesday.

"It was really fun to see,” director of player development Kyle Haines said Saturday. “Just an incredible group of guys. Every time they seem to lose a player to the Major Leagues or somewhere else, whether it’s waivers or something, someone else is just ready to step up and get excited to be a big part of that team. Every player on that roster contributed something toward that championship from Opening Day all the way to the very end.”