Season Preview: Sacramento River Cats

Let's get this started!

Photo Credit: Ralph Thompson | Sacramento River Cats

Hello there! We have arrived at the opening of the 2024 minor league season…..sort of. Most of the affiliates open a week from today, but tonight things get the early kick-off at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, when the home town River Cats take on the Salt Lake Bees.

So let’s take a look at the 2024 edition of the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate — at least the edition that takes the field at the beginning of the season. As we know, the Sacramento roster is where the churn turns up the most froth over the course of the year, and we’ll be seeing plenty of changes in the days and months to come. The changes will start almost immediately. Indeed, Cooper Hummel, who had been doing much of the catching for the Triple-A squad in the minor league camp, was designated for assignment yesterday, and will spend at least the next week in administrative limbo.

And there are more quick changes coming. Daulton Jefferies and Luis Matos, for instance, have both been optioned to Sacramento to start the year, but it’s likely neither have even bothered making the drive east on I-80. Both are more likely on the taxi squad in San Diego awaiting imminent opportunity to join the top club. Jefferies is the likeliest candidate for the 13th pitching spot once the front office bites the bullet and sends Joey Bart onto waivers, while Matos will be taking over when Mike Yastrzemski goes on the paternity list.

Yep, it’ll be fluid, changing almost daily — and quite possibly that “almost” isn’t a necessary addition to the sentence. But we have to start somewhere, and today, it looks like we start right here…