San Francisco Giants News

Jerar Encarnacion • RF • Giants

Jerar Encarnacion Undergoes Surgery, Targeting Return In Eight Weeks

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jerar Encarnacion (hand) underwent successful surgery on Friday and is targeting a return to the lineup in eight weeks. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay noted that while Encarnacion is sidelined, Wilmer Flores will likely operate as the primary designated hitter. Encarnacion suffered a fracture in his left hand earlier in camp. He was expected to serve as a top option at designated hitter at the start of the campaign. Last season, Encarnacion appeared in career-high 36 contests and posted a .248/.277/.425 slash line. However, under the hood, he generated an elite .275 xBA with a .501 xSLG, which suggests he should have positive regression when he returns to the lineup. For now, fantasy managers should expect Flores to be the primary DH in San Francisco.

Yesterday

Mike Yastrzemski • RF • Giants |

LaMonte Wade Jr. • 1B • Giants

Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr. Sitting On Saturday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. are not in the starting lineup on Saturday afternoon as the Giants will face left-handed pitcher Nick Lodolo. Instead, Luis Matos will enter the outfield and bat sixth, and Wilmer Flores will shift to first base. This opens up the designated hitter spot for Casey Schmitt. Yastrzemski did not see many opportunities against southpaws last season, either. Across 140 total games, Yastrzemski posted a .231/.302/.437 slash line with 16 doubles and 18 round-trippers. Wade also saw limited opportunities against southpaws last season but was productive in his limited stint, as he slashed a .324/.429/.412 line across 43 plate appearances. Both Flores and Matos are worth a look in DFS while facing Lodolo, who held a 4.76 ERA in 2024.

Yesterday

Heliot Ramos • CF • Giants

Heliot Ramos Hitting Leadoff Against Lefty

San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos, who homered out of the fifth spot in the batting order on Opening Day on Thursday, is starting in left field and batting leadoff on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds and left-hander Nick Lodolo at Great American Ball Park. Left-handed hitters Mike Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade Jr. will start on the bench for this one with a southpaw on the mound. In addition to Ramos' two-run homer against the Reds on Thursday, he struck out three times. The 25-year-old Puerto Rican will be an everyday outfielder for the Giants in 2025 after he made his first All-Star team in 2024 by slashing .269/.322/.469 with a .792 OPS, 22 home runs, 72 RBI, six stolen bases and 54 runs scored in 121 games in his first full MLB season. Ramos will certainly be in play in DFS lineups in the leadoff spot. He's gone hitless in just two career at-bats versus Lodolo.

Yesterday

Jerar Encarnacion • RF • Giants

Jerar Encarnacion Will Undergo Surgery On Friday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jerar Encarnacion (hand) is set to undergo surgery on his fractured left hand on Friday. He suffered this injury during spring training. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as the team will likely provide a definitive timetable following the operation. Encarnacion was in a good position to make the Opening Day roster and potentially have an everyday spot in the starting nine. Last season, Encarnacion appeared in a career-high 35 games and posted a .248/.277/.425 slash line with five doubles and five home runs. Across this short stint, he generated an elite .348 xwOBA with a .501 xSLG and a 58.8 percent hard-hit rate. While he is sidelined, Wilmer Flores will likely continue to serve as the everyday DH in San Francisco.

2 days ago

Bryce Eldridge • 1B • Giants

Bryce Eldridge Resumes Playing

San Francisco Giants first base prospect Bryce Eldridge (wrist) has resumed playing in camp, but the team has not made a decision on where he will begin his campaign. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay noted that the team may send their top prospect to their Double-A or Triple-A, but wants to be "extremely" careful with his sore wrist. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status early in the campaign as he begins to increase his workload. Eldridge was drafted with the 16th selection in the 2023 MLB Draft out of James Madison HS. Last summer, he opened the campaign at Low-A but eventually reached Triple-A. Across 116 games in the minor leagues, Eldridge posted a .291/.374/.516 slash line with 27 doubles and 23 home runs. If he were to continue to perform at this level this season, he should push for an MLB debut later in the summer.

2 days ago

Tom Murphy • C • Giants

Tom Murphy Placed On 60-Day Injured List

San Francisco Giants catcher Tom Murphy (back) will miss at least the first two months of the season after landing on the 60-day IL to start the season. The veteran was limited to just 13 games with the Giants last year due to a sprained MCL, but he was expected to be in the mix as a backup option behind Patrick Bailey this season. He dealt with back spasms early in training camp and was diagnosed with a middle-back disk herniation. With Murphy out for a while, Sam Huff will serve as the Giants' primary backup catcher to start the season after beating out Max Stassi, who will start the season in Triple-A. Huff hit .313 with two home runs and a .444 wOBA in his 15 spring training games.

3 days ago

Christian Koss • SS • Giants

Christian Koss Makes Opening Day Roster

The San Francisco Giants have added infield prospect Christian Koss to their Opening Day roster. The 27-year-old was a non-roster invitee to camp this spring, but had a strong spring that prompted the Giants to retain him on the roster to begin the year. The right-handed hitter went 14-for-41 (.341) with a home run, five RBI, 12 runs scored, and a stolen base in Cactus League play, along with a 5:7 BB:K. The former 12th-round draft pick owns a career .274/.339/.454 slash line in the minors with about average walk and strikeout rates. Koss will be one of the Giants' bench bats who will be making his MLB debut whenever he gets into a game, but there's not a whole lot here to get excited about for fantasy, and he can be safely left on the waiver wire for now.

3 days ago

Grant McCray • CF • Giants |

Brett Wisely • 2B • Giants

Giants Option Brett Wisely, Grant McCray To Triple-A

The San Francisco Giants optioned second baseman Brett Wisely and outfielder Grant McCray to Triple-A Sacramento. Wisely, 25, was unable to win a utility role on the Opening Day roster despite hitting .295 (13-for-44) with four doubles, a homer, six RBI, two steals and four runs scored in 23 Cactus League games this spring. He has displayed solid plate discipline and nice speed in the minors, and Wisely should be back up in the big leagues at some point in 2025 after hitting .238 with four homers and 31 steals in 91 games for the Gigantes in 2024. McCray, 24, will open the year in the minors with Jung Hoo Lee overcoming a back injury that slowed him down in camp. The left-handed hitter will be in a platoon situation, at best, if he's back in the big leagues this year. The former third-rounder in 2019 will need to lower his high strikeout rates to find any kind of sustained success in the majors.

3 days ago

Robbie Ray • SP • Giants

Robbie Ray Finishes Strong Spring

San Franciso Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray pitched five strong innings on Tuesday to pick up a win in the Giants' 6-4 victory over the Tigers. Ray has only been available for eight starts over the last two seasons but showed good potential in his seven starts last season, going 3-2 with a 4.70 ERA and 4.96 FIP but posting an impressive 12.6 K/9. The 2021 AL Cy Young winner has also looked sharp this spring, allowing just four earned runs in five starts for a 1.86 ERA. He racked up 23 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings, highlighted by an eight-strikeout performance against the Rangers. Ray has shown he can be good enough when healthy to be a mixed-league option coming into the season. He'll face the Reds on the road in a less-than-ideal matchup next week, but he's definitely someone to watch early in the season.

5 days ago

Hayden Birdsong • SP • Giants

Hayden Birdsong Moving To Bullpen

San Francisco Giants pitcher Hayden Birdsong (finger) will shift to the bullpen to begin the season. It was between Birdsong and Landen Koupp for the final spot in the starting rotation. Giants manager Bob Melvin confirmed on Monday that Koupp has won that final spot. Both pitchers are deserving of a spot on the Opening Day roster, so luckily they both made it. Birdsong will lose significant fantasy value with the move to the bullpen. He isn't going to offer much fantasy value unless he's picking up saves or possibly holds. It's also worth noting that Birdsong is dealing with a fingernail issue. However, Birdsong appears to be fine to pitch through the issue, so this doesn't sound like something that will land him on the injured list.

5 days ago

Landen Roupp • SP • Giants

Landen Roupp Wins Fifth Starter Spot

San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp has earned the fifth spot in the starting rotation to begin the season. It was down to Roupp or Hayden Birdsong, but manager Bob Melvin confirmed on Monday that Roupp will get the final spot in the rotation. Roupp has been extremely impressive this season and is well deserving of this chance. Last season, Roupp posted a 3.58 ERA, 1,37 WHIP, and 47/26 K/BB ratio across 23 games (four starts) with the Giants. He's someone that should have fantasy value right away in most formats, assuming he's able to adjust to being a full-time starter. Birdsong will see his fantasy value take a hit with the shift to the bullpen.

5 days ago

Hayden Birdsong • SP • Giants

Hayden Birdsong Dealing With Fingernail Issue

San Francisco Giants right-hander Hayden Birdsong (finger) said he's been dealing with an issue with his right middle fingernail. However, he had a fake nail put on his finger and said he should be OK to pitch to open the year as the team's No. 5 starter. The 23-year-old was able to beat out Landon Roupp for the final rotation spot this spring by allowing only one earned run while walking none and striking out 18 in 12 innings over four Cactus League outings (one start). The former sixth-round pick in 2022 out of Eastern Illinois University made his major-league debut in 2024 and went 5-6 with a 4.75 ERA (4.67 FIP), 1.39 WHIP and an 88:43 K:BB in 72 innings over 16 starts. Birdsong struggled with a 13.7 percent walk rate, but he also had an above-average strikeout rate (27.9%), making him a pitcher worth taking a chance on in the right matchups in DFS.

5 days ago

Hayden Birdsong • SP • Giants

Hayden Birdsong Wins Final Spot In Rotation

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Hayden Birdsong has won the competition for the fifth spot in the rotation, according to Jon Heyman. While he wasn't viewed as the favorite coming into camp, it was impossible to ignore his performance this spring. He allowed only one earned run, six hits, and no walks in 12 innings while striking out 18. The strikeout upside didn't come as a surprise as he had an excellent 27.9% strikeout rate last season in 16 starts for the big-league club. His biggest issue was his control, with a 13.7% walk rate that ranked in the 1st percentile. He has seemingly fixed that problem in the small sample this spring, making him a high-upside arm if he can carry it over into the regular season.

6 days ago

Kyle Harrison • SP • Giants

Kyle Harrison Optioned To Triple-A

The San Francisco Giants have optioned left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison to Triple-A Sacramento. Harrison was competing for the final spot in the rotation but fell short. During spring training, Harrison logged six 2/3 innings to the tune of a high 10.80 ERA with a 2.10 WHIP. The 23-year-old made his MLB debut during the 2023 campaign and logged 34 2/3 innings with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. In 2024, Harrison tossed 124 2/3 innings in San Francisco and held a 4.56 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP. During this stint, Harrison tallied just 118 punchouts and held a 7.9 percent walk rate. The southpaw also generated a high 4.87 xERA with a .257 xBA, which placed him in the 14th and 24th percentile, respectively, among qualified pitchers. With Harrison being sent to Triple-A, Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp will compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

Mar 22

Keaton Winn • SP • Giants

Keaton Winn Optioned To Triple-A

The San Francisco Giants have optioned right-handed pitcher Keaton Winn to Triple-A Sacramento. Winn was competing for a spot in the starting rotation but ultimately fell short. Across five innings in the Cactus League, Winn allowed two earned runs and held a modest 1.40 WHIP. Last summer, the 27-year-old logged a career-high 55 2/3 innings to the tune of a 7.16 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP. During this stint, Winn tallied 48 strikeouts and posted an 8.4 percent walk rate. He generated a high 5.56 xERA, which placed him in the third percentile among qualified pitchers. However, he was able to generate ground balls at an impressive 50.9 percent rate. With Winn opening the season at Sacramento, fantasy managers should expect Hayden Birdsong, Kyle Harrison, and Landen Roupp to continue to compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

Mar 22

Jerar Encarnacion • RF • Giants

Jerar Encarnacion Diagnosed With Fractured Hand

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jerar Encarnacion (hand) has been diagnosed with a fractured left hand, according to the team. Encarnacion recently fractured his hand while attempting to make a diving catch in a Cactus League game and will now be forced to miss at least the next couple of weeks, and possibly more. It's a tough blow for the Giants and the 27-year-old Dominica, who was hitting .302 (16-for-53) with two home runs, seven doubles, 14 RBI and four runs scored in 20 games played this spring. Encarnacion should still have a big role for San Francisco when he's healed, primarily as their designated hitter, but this news certainly puts a damper on what had been a rising fantasy value. With Encarnacion sidelined for the foreseeable future, veteran Wilmer Flores might be the biggest beneficiary for DH at-bats to open the season in San Fran.

Mar 22

Jerar Encarnacion • RF • Giants

Jerar Encarnacion Exits Early On Friday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jerar Encarnacion (head) exited Friday's contest early after diving for a ball. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, as the team did not provide an update. Encarnacion has enjoyed a strong spring training as he has posted a .302/.309/.547 slash line with seven doubles and two home runs. Last season, he logged a career-high 35 contests at the MLB level. During this stint, Encarnacion posted a .248/.277/.425 slash line with five doubles and three home runs. However, he generated an elite .275 xBA with a .501 xSLG, which suggests that he should see significant positive regression during the 2025 campaign. He is currently competing for the designated hitter role. If he were to miss the remainder of camp, the Giants may opt for him to begin his campaign at the Triple-A level.

Mar 21

Jung Hoo Lee • CF • Giants

Jung Hoo Lee Hopes To Play Sunday, Could Make Opening Day Roster

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (back) is beginning baseball activities in camp on Friday and is hoping to play in an exhibition game at Sacramento against the Athletics on Sunday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea. Lee said it's realistic that he could be on the team's Opening Day roster for the season opener next Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds, but he also isn't trying to rush just to be available for the start of the season. White the 26-year-old's injury didn't end up being serious, he still hasn't played in any game action in over a week, which makes it unlikely that he'll be in the starting lineup on Opening Day on March 27. If he opens on the injured list, expect Luis Matos and Grant McCray to split playing time in center field. Lee is hoping to bounce back in 2025 after he played in just 37 games last year before needing season-ending shoulder injury. He's not off to a great start.

Mar 21

Jordan Hicks • SP • Giants

Jordan Hicks Bounces Back With Strong Start

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks looked sharp on Wednesday night against the Royals in a Spring Training game in Surprise, Arizona. Hicks went 5 2/3 innings, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out three. The run came on a solo shot off the bat of Bobby Witt Jr. in the first inning. Hicks settled down though, and looked much better than he had through his first three starts this spring in which he allowed seven runs in 6 2/3 innings. He seems locked into a starting spot in the rotation coming into the season after going 4-7 with a 4.10 ERA, 4.37 FIP and 7.9 K/9 in 29 games last year. Hicks bulked up this offseason and will look to turn his extra velocity into more starts like Wednesday's. He's a depth piece for NL-Only leagues and a matchup-based streaming option coming into season.

Mar 20

LaMonte Wade Jr. • 1B • Giants

LaMonte Wade Jr. To Hit Leadoff Against Right-Handed Pitching

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. is expected to be the leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching to begin the season. Wade lacks the speed of the usual leadoff hitter, but makes up for it by drawing walks. Wade is hitting below .220 this spring, but he also has 10 walks, which does help make up for his lack of a batting average and lackluster speed. The 31-year-old would likely see a boost in fantasy value with the move to the top of the lineup. The leadoff hitter usually gets more at-bats and sometimes better pitches to hit because pitchers don't want to walk the first batter before getting to the two or three hole hitter.

Mar 19

San Francisco Giants News

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