Giants Baseball Insider

SF Giants recall speedy outfielder Bryce Johnson, option Brett Wisely

After a surprising snub on the Opening Day roster, speedy outfielder Bryce Johnson has been added to the SF Giants active roster.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants recall speedy outfielder Bryce Johnson, option Brett Wisely
SF Giants recall speedy outfielder Bryce Johnson, option Brett Wisely /
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It sure was not long before the SF Giants made their first roster move of the 2023 season. Before the team's second game of the year, the Giants added outfielder Bryce Johnson to the 40-man roster and recalled him from Triple-A. In a pair of corresponding moves, the Giants shifted offseason free-agent signing Luke Jackson to the 60-day injured list and optioned infielder Brett Wisely (Giants #22 prospect) to Triple-A Sacramento. Jackson, a right-handed pitcher, was already slated to miss the start of the season while he rehabs from UCL surgery.

SF Giants center fielder Bryce Johnson (58) gets a hit. (2022)
SF Giants center fielder Bryce Johnson singles against the Dodgers. (2022) / Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Johnson was one of the Giants biggest standouts during spring training, recording a league-leading 12 stolen bases with a .310/.423/.405 in 52 plate appearances. A sixth-round pick by the Giants back in 2017, Johnson has steadily progressed through the organization's minor-league ranks with a contact-focused offensive profile alongside elite speed and defense in center field.

Johnson recorded his first big-league hit during a short big-league stint last season. However, he was designated for assignment and outrighted off the 40-man roster by the end of the season.  He posted a .111/.158/.111 line in 19 plate appearances with the Giants. At Triple-A, Johnson has a much more respectable .288/.373/.418 triple-slash with 61 stolen bases (70 attempts) over his career.

Acquired in a minor trade this offseason from the Rays, Wisely had an impressive spring as well but is far less experienced than Johnson. More importantly, Wisely was set to be manager Gabe Kapler's backup center fielder. While Wisely is an impressive athlete, he is also a career infielder with just three appearances in left field over his minor league career before this season.

Wisely made his big-league debut as a defensive replacement on Opening Day but did not record a plate appearance. He will now head to the minors. In 2022, Wisely hit .274/.371/.461 with 15 home runs and 31 stolen bases at Double-A before posting a far more middling .238/.261/.333 line in a small sample (23 plate appearances) with the Rays Triple-A affiliate.

The SF Giants outfield was depleted by injuries over the course of spring training, opening the door for Bryce Johnson to crack the Opening Day roster. While Johnson ultimately missed the first game of the season, the speedy outfielder joined the Giants roster before the end of their first series.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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