The San Francisco Giants are set to host the San Diego Padres for Game 3 of the 4-game series in The Bay. Ahead of Game 3, the Giants made several roster moves, including DFA'ing longtime outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr.

Wade Jr. has been with the Giants since 2021, although it feels much longer. He started his career with the Minnesota Twins in 2019. In 2023, Wade Jr. hit 17 home runs and had a career-high 110 hits in a great season for the Giants. His WAR reached 2.6 and was a big part of the lineup. However, this season, his numbers have dropped. He had a 2.1 WAR last season and a career-high .260 batting average. He just has not been able to find that groove this year.

Wade Jr. is hitting just .167  with a .271 slugging percentage. His -1.1 WAR was giving indications that he needed to be taken out of the lineup, and now, he is being DFA'd. This is not the only move the Giants made on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Giants added Jordan Hicks to the IL.

Article Continues Below
More Giants News
Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna Jr (20) slides safely into home against San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (14) as umpire Andy Fletcher (49) watches the play during the fourth inning at Oracle Park.
Giants fan bizarrely throws baseball at umpire during live play in Braves gameBrayden Haena ·
San Francisco Giants right fielder Daniel Johnson (56) celebrates his single against the San Diego Padres in the seventh inning at Oracle Park.
Giants’ Daniel Johnson left ‘speechless’ by stellar San Francisco debutYasmin Edañol ·
San Francisco Giants 2023 first round draft pick Bryce Eldridge poses for a photo before the game against the Oakland Athletics.
Giants’ Buster Posey provides key update on top prospect Bryce EldridgeJosh Davis ·
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks (center) is congratulated by teammates during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park.
Giants place pitcher on IL before Padres gameBenedetto Vitale ·
San Francisco Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee (51) slides safely past San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) with a stolen base during the sixth inning at Oracle Park.
Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee makes slide of the year to avoid Padres tagYasmin Edañol ·
Detroit Tigers center fielder Javier Baez (28) is greeted by second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) after hitting a solo home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre.
Tigers’ A.J. Hinch makes Javier Baez ‘hug it out’ quip about ump after ejectionZachary Howell ·

Along with the Wade Jr. move, the Giants also optioned infielder Christian Koss to Triple-A Sacramento, DFA'd catcher Sam Huff, called up outfielder Daniel Johnson, and called up catcher Andrew Kisner. Furthermore, San Francisco signed longtime New York Met and former Washington National, Dominic Smith.

After losing 14 of their last 23 games, the Giants need to switch things up, and shaking up the roster may help them. After losing the first two games of the series against the Padres, the Giants are wasting no time trying to do what they can to improve their chances of splitting the series ahead of their matchup against the Atlanta Braves.

The move for Dominic Smith is a big one, as he was signed to a Major League contract. He could make an impact right away for the Giants and is pretty much their immediate replacement for Wade Jr.