Galarraga, Rivera earn spots with Giants

By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The San Francisco Giants finalized their opening day roster Saturday by purchasing the contracts of first baseman Andres Galarraga and outfielder Ruben Rivera from Triple-A Fresno.

To trim the roster to the 25-man limit, the Giants optioned six players to Fresno, including pitcher Jim Brower, acquired Monday in a trade with Montreal that sent Livan Hernandez and Edwards Guzman to the Expos.

The others optioned were left-hander Jeff Urban, catcher Trey Lunsford, infielder Cody Ransom, and outfielders Jason Ellison and Tony Torcato.

Rivera's spot on the roster was the biggest surprise, manager Felipe Alou said.

For Rivera, this is a new start after he was released last spring by the New York Yankees after stealing Derek Jeter's glove and bat from his locker and selling the items to a memorabilia dealer. Rivera spent last season with Texas, but he was in the Rangers' farm system most of the year.

``I knew this guy had outstanding talent and tools,'' Alou said. ``The fact he was sitting there without a job, I thought he was finished. He ran into some trouble. When the occasion came to have him in our camp, I didn't expect a lot. But he's taking it seriously.''

Rivera thanked Alou after being told he'd made the team.

``I was very relaxed during the whole time I was in camp,'' Rivera said. ``I didn't worry about what was going to happen.''

The decision to keep Rivera meant going with only 11 pitchers and optioning Brower, who was in the majors the last two years with Montreal.

``There's nothing more I can prove,'' said Brower, who has one option remaining. ``It's a numbers thing. It's nothing personal. That's the way the business goes. It's a situation where they're keeping 11 pitchers and I'm 12.''

Galarraga, 41, will provide a powerful right-handed bat off the bench and a veteran presence the Giants appreciate. He spent last season in Montreal, but signed a minor league contract in January to return to San Francisco, where he played at the end of the 2001 season.

``The way I played in spring training, there was no doubt about it,'' Galarraga said. ``I was not too worried about it.''

Talented pitching prospect Jesse Foppert will probably be reassigned to Triple-A after his start Sunday. Foppert is a non-roster invitee, enabling him to stay with the big league team for now. The Giants will keep a close eye on him.

``You can't really worry about what you can't control,'' Foppert said. ``If I'm back in Fresno, I can't really worry when I'm going to come up.''

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)