Giants shut out on waiver claims while Reds add two outfield bats originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants had a chance to improve their MLB roster Thursday through the waiver claim process, but San Francisco came up empty handed.

One of the teams battling the Giants for a 2023 MLB playoff spot didn't, though.

The upstart Cincinnati Reds, who just wrapped up a series in San Francisco and trail the Giants by one game in the NL Wild Card race, were awarded waiver claims on outfielders Harrison Bader (New York Yankees) and Hunter Renfroe (Los Angeles Angels), ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported Thursday, citing sources.

Bader and Renfroe now join a Reds team trying to track down the Giants as the calendar flips to September.

Other useful players hit the waiver wire, such as starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, relievers Reynaldo Lopez, Matt Moore and Dominic Leone, and outfielder Randal Grichuk, but none landed with the Giants.

Giolito, Lopez and Moore all were claimed by the Cleveland Guardians, while Leone was claimed by the Seattle Mariners. Grichuk went unclaimed.

The Giants entered the day as the 19th team on the waiver priority list, making it hard for any of those players to get to them. Playoff contenders below the Giants in the standings had the first crack at all the available players.

The good news for the Giants is that only one team they are competing with for a playoff spot made additions. The Philadelphia Phillies, who lead the NL Wild Card race, and the Chicago Cubs, who hold the second Wild Card spot, were shut out on the waiver wire. The Arizona Diamondbacks, who trail the Giants by a half-game in the playoff race, didn't add any players either.

Thursday's waiver deadline was the last chance for MLB teams to add playoff-eligible players from outside their organization, so the Giants will have to roll with the guys they have at the moment.

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