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Logan Webb Logan Webb Confirmed as Opening Day starter
Fri, Feb 21, 2025, 10:28 AM
Giants manager Bob Melvin announced Friday that Webb will start Opening Day against the Reds on March 27, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: The right-hander has firmly established himself as San Francisco's ace, so it's no surprise he'll be taking the ball in the season opener. It won't be the most favorable matchup at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, however. Webb made 33 starts in each of the past two seasons and posted a 3.47 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 172:50 K:BB across 204.2 innings during 2024. |
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Tyler Fitzgerald Tyler Fitzgerald Resuming baseball activities
Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 10:33 AM
Fitzgerald (back) will resume baseball activities Thursday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Analysis: Fitzgerald was held out of workouts for a couple days due to a lower-back injury. With the issue having subsided, he's been cleared to resume activities and should be ready to play in Cactus League games before long. |
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Heliot Ramos Heliot Ramos Pops homer in live BP
Wed, Feb 19, 2025, 12:03 PM
Ramos (hamstring/foot) took part in live batting practice against right-hander Justin Verlander during Wednesday's full-squad workout, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Ramos provided one of the highlights of the day during his round of BP, hitting a long home run that struck the scoreboard at Scottsdale Stadium. Though he impressed in his first full big-league campaign in 2024 with a .269/.322/.469 slash line to go with 22 home runs and six steals over 121 games, Ramos disclosed after the season that he had been dealing with a tight hamstring and plantar fasciitis down the stretch. Neither issue presented any reported complications during his offseason training program, and Ramos doesn't appear to be facing any restrictions during spring training. He's poised to handle an everyday role for the Giants in 2025 and will likely slot somewhere in the middle of the lineup against both right- and left-handed pitchers. |
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Tyler Fitzgerald Tyler Fitzgerald Day-to-day with lower-back issue
Tue, Feb 18, 2025, 10:36 AM
Fitzgerald will be held out of workouts for a few days due to a lower-back injury, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Analysis: The Giants appear confident that it won't be a lingering problem for Fitzgerald, but at this stage of spring training there's little reason to push him. Fitzgerald slashed .280/.334/.497 with 15 home runs and 17 stolen bases over just 96 games for San Francisco last season and is slated to serve as its everyday second baseman in 2025. |
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Tom Murphy Tom Murphy Tending to oblique strain
Mon, Feb 17, 2025, 10:43 AM
Giants manager Bob Melvin said Monday that Murphy is dealing with a mild oblique strain and is expected to return to game action in 7-to-10 days, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: The Giants had initially labeled Murphy's injury as back spasms, but an MRI detected the oblique strain. Though Melvin is referring to the oblique strain as minor, Murphy still looks set to miss multiple workouts before making his Cactus League debut. The veteran backstop had been limited to just 12 games with the Giants in 2024 due to a sprained MCL in his left knee, but he had received a clean bill of health heading into spring training before the oblique issue cropped up. |
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Tom Murphy Tom Murphy Dealing with back spasms
Sun, Feb 16, 2025, 11:00 AM
Murphy will undergo an MRI on Sunday after experiencing back spasms, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: It's not believed to be a serious injury, but it's still a concerning development for the veteran catcher, who was limited to 12 games last season due to a knee injury. Murphy is expected to serve as San Francisco's No. 2 catcher this season, but he has played in just 64 contests across the past three campaigns. |
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Marco Luciano Marco Luciano Moving to outfield
Fri, Feb 14, 2025, 11:06 AM
Giants manager Bob Melvin said Friday that Luciano will be used as a corner outfielder this spring, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Analysis: It's not clear whether Luciano has been permanently moved from the infield, but the Giants have been mulling a shift to the outfield for him for a while and it's now coming to fruition. Luciano admitted to being "totally lost" at the plate last season, when he had just a .562 OPS and 34.6 percent strikeout rate in 27 games with the big club. The hope is that a move to a less taxing defensive position will help unlock his offensive potential. Luciano is likely to begin the 2025 season at Triple-A Sacramento. |
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Jerar Encarnacion Jerar Encarnacion Competing for DH job
Fri, Feb 14, 2025, 9:16 AM
Giants manager Bob Melvin said the team will "take a hard look" at Encarnacion in the designated hitter spot, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Analysis: Melvin added that Encarnacion "impressed us last year" during a 35-game cameo, slashing .248/.277/.425 with five home runs. While Encarnacion had a 28.6 percent strikeout rate and just a 4.2 percent walk rate, he also boasted an absurd 95 mph average exit velocity and 15 percent barrel rate. The 27-year-old can also be used at first base and the corner outfield spots, but his clearest path to playing time is at DH, where his chief competition will be Wilmer Flores (knee). |
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Robbie Ray Robbie Ray Moves past hamstring injury
Thu, Feb 13, 2025, 12:49 PM
Ray (hamstring) completed a bullpen session Thursday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Analysis: Ray finished the 2024 season on the injured list after straining his hamstring in an Aug. 27 start, but he was able to throw a simulated game in September and seems to have had a normal offseason. Heading into the fourth season of the five-year, $115 million deal he signed with Seattle in November 2021, Ray should have a hold on a rotation spot after he fared well for San Francisco upon completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Though he posted a 4.70 ERA over his seven starts for the Giants before being shut down with the hamstring strain, Ray's underlying metrics (21.7 K-BB%, 3.51 SIERA) were more impressive. |
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LaMonte Wade Jr. LaMonte Wade Jr. Might bat leadoff this season
Thu, Feb 13, 2025, 11:05 AM
Giants manager Bob Melvin indicated Thursday that Wade could bat leadoff this season, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: If it happens, it would likely be only against right-handers, as Wilmer Flores (knee) is expected to fill the short side of a platoon at first base with Wade. If Wade does indeed hit leadoff versus righties, Jung Hoo Lee would be used in the three hole. Melvin also noted Thursday that Wade could see some action in the outfield this season in addition to first base. The 31-year-old has primarily been a first baseman over the last two seasons but made five starts in the outfield last year. |
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Jung Hoo Lee Jung Hoo Lee Could bat third this season
Thu, Feb 13, 2025, 10:53 AM
Giants manager Bob Melvin said Thursday that Lee might bat third this season, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Lee was the Giants' primary leadoff hitter when healthy last season but did slide down to the three hole on five occasions when the opposition had a lefty on the mound. It sounds like he could shift down to the three hole on a more regular basis in 2025, with LaMonte Wade moving up to the top of the batting order. Such an arrangement would ding Lee's runs outlook a bit but boost his RBI potential. |
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Kyle Harrison Kyle Harrison Velocity back this spring
Wed, Feb 12, 2025, 1:19 PM
Harrison said Wednesday that he's rediscovered his velocity this spring after fixing issues with his delivery, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Harrison averaged 92.5 mph with his four-seamer in 2024 and just 91.2 mph in his final start of the season before he was shut down with left shoulder inflammation. That's after the pitch came in at 93.5 mph on average in 2023. Harrison believes the shoulder injury and an earlier ankle problem contributed to his delivery getting out of whack, but he's healthy now and is throwing harder. The left-hander is competing for the final spot in the Giants' rotation this spring and has some bounce-back potential if his velocity holds. |
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Jordan Hicks Jordan Hicks Added 14 pounds this offseason
Wed, Feb 12, 2025, 11:36 AM
Hicks said Wednesday that he added 14 pounds this offseason and is ready to "take the training wheels off" in 2025, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Hicks got off to a nice start last season in his move from the bullpen to the rotation, but he hit a wall and finished with a 4.10 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 96:47 K:BB over 109.2 frames covering 20 starts and nine relief appearances. The 28-year-old should be better prepared to handle a starter's workload in 2025, but Hicks is a bit of a wild card in terms of his expected performance. |
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Ryan Walker Ryan Walker Named closer
Wed, Feb 12, 2025, 11:11 AM
Manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Walker will open the season as the Giants' closer, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Analysis: After Camilo Doval endured a string of poor performances following the All-Star break and was removed from the closer's role in early August, Walker took over as the Giants' primary closer to finish out the 2024 campaign. In addition to providing sterling ratios (1.91 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 99:18 K:BB over 80 innings) in his high-leverage relief role, Walker collected 10 wins, 10 saves and 21 holds. With the Giants opting not to make any major additions to the bullpen over the offseason, Walker looks like he'll get the chance to close on a full-time basis for the first time in his career. He'll be in position for fewer wins in the ninth-inning role, but if health prevails and he continues to perform at the level he did in 2024, Walker could finish among the league leaders in saves. |
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Jung Hoo Lee Jung Hoo Lee Full participant to begin camp
Wed, Feb 12, 2025, 11:04 AM
Giants manager Bob Melvin confirmed Wednesday that Lee (shoulder) will be a full participant to begin spring training, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Analysis: Melvin previously said in December that he didn't expect Lee to face any restrictions during camp, and that prediction has come to pass with the outfielder experiencing no complications over the winter while completing his recovery from the labrum surgery he underwent in June. Before getting hurt last season, Lee led off in his 31 of his 36 starts, and he projects to serve as the Giants' primary table setter to begin the 2025 campaign if he makes it through the spring unscathed. |
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Kyle Harrison Kyle Harrison Competing for fifth rotation spot
Wed, Feb 12, 2025, 11:04 AM
Harrison and Hayden Birdsong will be among the candidates competing for the fifth spot in the Giants' rotation, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Logan Webb, Justin Verlander, Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks are locked into the first four rotation spots. Harrison is likely the favorite to fill the fifth slot after making 24 starts for San Francisco last season, but the gig won't be handed to him. The left-hander posted a 4.56 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 118:42 K:BB over 124.1 frames in 2024 before his season ended prematurely due to shoulder inflammation. He has no restrictions at the start of spring training. |
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Tom Murphy Tom Murphy Cleared for spring training
Wed, Feb 12, 2025, 10:59 AM
Giants manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Murphy (knee) has received full clearance to begin spring training, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Analysis: Signed to a two-year, $8 million contract last winter, Murphy had most of his first season in San Francisco wiped out after he sprained the MCL in his left knee in early May. He was able to avoid knee surgery, but Murphy didn't make enough progress in his recovery to head out on a rehab assignment at any point after landing on the injured list. With a full offseason to recover, Murphy finally looks to have healed up from the knee injury, and he should be in position to open the season as the Giants' No. 2 catcher. The right-handed-hitting Murphy could end up filling the short side of a platoon behind the plate with the switch-hitting Patrick Bailey, who was far more effective against righties than lefties in 2024. |
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Lou Trivino Lou Trivino No limitations to begin camp
Wed, Feb 12, 2025, 10:33 AM
Trivino (elbow) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Trivino -- who is attending Giants camp as a non-roster invitee -- confirmed that he's back to full health after he was limited to a handful of rehab appearances in the minors in 2024 while he completed his recovery from May 2023 Tommy John surgery and then battled a shoulder issue in September. During his last healthy MLB season in 2022, Trivino made 64 relief appearances between the Athletics and Yankees, submitting a 4.53 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 67:24 K:BB while collecting 11 saves and four holds across 53.2 innings. He'll likely be vying for a low-leverage relief role in the Giants' Opening Day bullpen. |
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Hayden Birdsong Hayden Birdsong Might not make rotation
Tue, Feb 11, 2025, 1:29 PM
Birdsong could be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Giants' rotation, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Birdsong flashed plenty of promise in 2024, particularly from a strikeouts perspective, posting a 4.75 ERA and 88:43 K:BB over 72 innings covering 16 regular-season starts. However, with the signing of Justin Verlander and expected return of Jordan Hicks to the rotation, Birdsong could begin the 2025 campaign back at Triple-A Sacramento. It might not be the worst thing since Birdsong still needs to work on his control, but he has some of the best upside of any of the Giants' starting pitchers and still figures to spend ample time in the major-league rotation. |
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Osleivis Basabe Osleivis Basabe Traded to San Francisco
Thu, Feb 6, 2025, 1:09 PM
The Giants acquired Basabe from the Rays on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis: Basabe had been designated for assignment and is now on the move to a new organization. The 24-year-old missed much of 2024 due to injury and, when on the field, slashed only .248/.293/.336 over 66 contests at Triple-A Durham. Basabe is a versatile defender and is projected to serve as utility depth at Triple-A Sacramento. |
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