The San Francisco Giants are aiming to clinch a National League Wild Card spot. Doing so won't be easy given the amount of teams vying for position, but the Giants are certainly still in contention. San Francisco made a few key roster moves Friday amid their NL Wild Card push, updates via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

“The Giants optioned Casey Schmitt to Triple-A to clear a roster spot for Michael Conforto,” Pavlovic reported.

“The Giants sent Kyle Harrison back to Triple-A. Ross Stripling is back,” Pavlovic later shared.

The Giants currently hold the third and final NL Wild Card spot. However, they are tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds for the position, and the Miami Marlins are only a half-game behind the three teams. With Michael Conforto back and the Giants making other transactions, let's take a deeper look at the roster moves ahead of the final stretch run.

Giants' roster moves

The most notable move is the return of Conforto. The outfielder has enjoyed a decent year, slashing .251/.343/.405 with a .748 OPS and 15 home runs. His numbers are even more impressive considering the fact he didn't play at all in 2022.

Schmitt, a rookie, enjoyed some good moments for the Giants in 2023 but has struggled overall. He will head to Triple-A sporting a .202/.254/.300 slash line to go along with a .553 OPS across 88 games. San Francisco still has high hopes for him but for now Schmitt will focus on fixing some holes in his swing.

Ross Stripling also returned to the active roster with Kyle Harrison getting sent down to Triple-A. This was a surprising move, as Harrison is a quality left-handed pitcher who features a high-ceiling.

Stripling, a veteran, owns a 5.29 ERA over 19 games (11 starts) in 2023. San Francisco likely values his veteran prowess on the mound though.

The decision to demote Harrison raised some eyebrows amongst fans. Giants manager Gabe Kapler explained the decision Friday, per Evan Webeck of the Mercury News and East Bay Times.

“Move has to do with Harrison ironing out some issues as well as roster needs for these upcoming 4 games in 3 days at Coors Field, Gabe Kapler said,” Webeck reported.

Harrison posted a 5.18 ERA over five big league starts.

It will be interesting to see how these roster moves impact the Giants down the stretch as they continue their NL Wild Card push.