Giants rumors: Ian Gardeck placed on waivers

San Francisco placed pitching prospect Ian Gardeck on waivers in order to create a roster spot for right-hander Vin Mazzaro, who the Giants added to the 40-man roster Saturday afternoon, according to CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic.

Gardeck will not pitch in 2016 as a result of season-ending Tommy John surgery, but he could prove to be a valuable addition to a club's roster moving forward.

Last season, at 25, Gardeck pitched well enough to earn a spot on the Giants' roster. Over 86.1 innings in relief in Single-A, he pitched to a 3.54 ERA.

In order to create a spot for Mazzaro on the major league roster, the Giants optioned Mike Broadway to the minors, Pavlovic notes.

Broadway was promoted about two weeks ago but struggled since receiving the call-up. Over 5.1 innings, Broadway allowed seven runs. However, he allowed only one run over 14 innings in Triple-A before the Giants opted to add him to their pitching staff.