Giants notes: Injuries mounting for San Francisco’s inexperienced bullpen arms originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SCOTTSDALE — The biggest question mark for the Giants coming into camp was their bullpen. Three weeks in, they’re heading in the wrong direction, at least from one side.
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Left-hander Reiver Sanmartin left Team Columbia after one World Baseball Classic exhibition because of discomfort in his right hip, and he will be checked by Giants orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki. Sanmartin is one of four left-handed relievers on the 40-man roster and only one — Matt Gage — is currently fully healthy.
Erik Miller, the top lefty in the bullpen and a candidate to pitch in the seventh and eighth innings, has been sidelined by lower back tightness but he is going through a throwing progression and the staff is hopeful he’s back on the mound by the middle of the month. Sam Hentges, signed in the offseason, continues to rehab from shoulder surgery and is not expected to be ready for Opening Day.
“It might provide an opportunity for somebody that wasn’t normally going to get one,” manager Tony Vitello said. “And then you end up with more depth than you would before. There’s pros and cons to it — you’d like to have everybody feeling 100 percent but I’ve got to believe that this level is the same as any (and) once the games actually start nobody is going to be 100 percent.
“You’d like to have a stable of righties and lefties that’s equal and all kinds of different looks and things like that, but for now we’re letting these guys get as many opportunities as they can to show what they can do and then we’re trying to sort out who belongs where.”
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The biggest injury thus far has been to hard-throwing right-hander Joel Peguero, who has missed most of camp with a right hamstring strain. Peguero was electric in his first bullpen session after rehab but felt a pull during his second session. He has a Grade 2 strain, so he will miss significant time.
The Giants have plenty of coverage from the right side, including non-roster invitees Gregory Santos and Caleb Kilian, who have impressed the staff. If Miller returns soon, they could be fine from the left side, but they’re currently lacking in depth.
Carson Whisenhunt and Nick Margevicius are starters but could fill gaps. Vitello also was complimentary of 25-year-old Juan Sanchez, who is back in big-league camp after missing all of 2025 because of Tommy John surgery. Sanchez had been at Triple-A prior to that and has made three scoreless appearances this spring.
“I’m a big Sanch fan,” Vitello said. “I don’t want to play favorites too much but he’s been good. I think he’s in a good spot. Hopefully he’s kind of smelling blood there, that there’s a little bit of an opportunity.”
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Hometown Kid
Jake Holton grew up in Los Gatos and attended his first Giants game when he was eight years old. When he was 12, he went to Game 2 of the 2010 World Series, and a few days later he was at the parade.
Holton got taken in the 10th round of the 2019 draft by the Detroit Tigers and worked his way to Double-A. When he became a minor-league free agent over the winter, he signed with his hometown team, and he has certainly impressed in three weeks as a non-roster invitee. The 28-year-old hit a grand slam in the fourth inning Wednesday and is now 7-for-17 this spring with eight RBI.
“That was not even close to staying in the park, it was well over the fence,” Vitello said of the slam. “That ball was basically just driven as well as anybody could do it … all of his at-bats, even the ones that haven’t fared well, seem to be really productive or at least he looks like he’s in a good position to do damage.”
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Trainer’s Room
Rafael Devers (left hamstring tightness) did baseball work before Wednesday night’s game. Devers has not played in a week but the Giants don’t have long-term concerns.
Drew Gilbert (left shoulder impingement) has been cleared to take swings but still is being kept from throwing. The timing is particularly poor for the young outfielder hoping to win a bench job; all three starters are going to the WBC, so there are a lot of reps to go around until they return.
Luis Matos was hit by a cutter early in the night game but stayed in. Vitello said Matos was checked a couple of times by trainers throughout the rest of the game but there were no concerns about a concussion.