In Which Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholtz Write Thank You Notes (For Now)

Aaron Rowand was kind of on the San Francisco Giants roster bubble. At least for all of us who know how to read. Now, Cody Ross is injured, so he's pretty much a lock, as our friend Grant tells us over at McCovey Chronicles.

It isn't exactly a great situation for the Giants, but it is good for both Nate Schierholtz and Aaron Rowand. The Giants have been dying for any excuse to keep Rowand on the roster, and losing their starting right fielder does just that.

This is not the good news I was looking for.

With Ross out, the Giants will most likely move Andres Torres to right field and have Rowand start the year in center. That also means that they'll need another outfielder on the roster, which is why Nate Schierholtz's job looks safe(r) now as well.

That also means that (need for outfielder) > (need for third-string first baseman), which leaves Travis Ishikawa without a spot. Speculation was that it would be easier to move Schierholtz, but with Ross and his health in question, it seems more rational to keep Nate and move Travis.

Torn calves are not easy to recover from, so don't be surprised if Ross takes multiple 15-day stints on the DL. That will keep Rowand and Schierholtz on the roster for at least another month, and give them some time to (a) prove they can produce for the Giants, or (b) prove that someone else can utilize their services.

Again, this is unfortunate for the Giants, and given their track record of NOT being the Mets, Ross's injury is a perfect opportunity for them to keep Aaron Rowand on the roster. Hopefully they don't miss The Boss too much.