Giants Activate New Reliever, Send Calixte Back to Minors

SAN FRANCISCO -- The newest member of the bullpen didn't have to wait long to be activated. 

Sam Dyson, acquired earlier this week from the Texas Rangers, was activated before Friday's game against the Minnesota Twins. To open a roster spot, the Giants optioned Orlando Calixte back to Triple-A. 

Dyson, 29, will get a chance to prove that a fresh start was all he needed. The former closer had a 10.80 ERA before being designated by the Rangers, but the Giants believe they can salvage some value. Dyson throws in the upper 90s and is not far removed from being one of the best relief pitchers in the American League. 

"Here's a guy who has a lot of experience pitching late in ballgames," Bruce Bochy said when Dyson was acquired. "It's a good arm. He's gotten off to a rough start there in Texas and we're hoping a change of scenery serves him well."

If he can find his form, Dyson could be a late-innings guy ahead of Mark Melancon. The Giants have had Derek Law in the eighth, but he has struggled to find consistency in his first year as a full-blown setup man. Dyson is a flyer, but a worthwhile one given his past. 

This move also clears the way for another audition. With Calixte, who struggled at the plate and in left, back in the minors, the left field job is there for the taking for rookie Austin Slater. He hit a 461-foot homer in Milwaukee on Friday. Bochy has said he wants one of the young players to take that job and run with it, and Slater will get a shot in his first homestand. 

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