Jared Oliva #56 of the San Francisco Giants runs to score the tying run during the ninth inning of a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Scottsdale Stadium on March 12, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
John E. Moore III/Getty Images
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The San Francisco Giants were Cactus League champions in 2025. This year, with a 10-7 win against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday, they finished 19-9. Cactus League doesn’t officially wrap up until Tuesday, but the Giants will leave the desert with the second-best record behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (19-8).
This year’s spring looked much the same as last year’s, statistically: The offense didn’t strike out much and before Saturday led the majors with a .279 batting average. The pitching staff maintained one of the Cactus League’s lowest ERAs (4.00 heading into Saturday) and allowed the fewest home runs (27).
On this scorching afternoon, non-roster outfielder Jared Oliva restated his case to make the team by showing his full range. He ran out a bunt single and, later, blasted a towering three-run home run.
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“He’s made a great (case) overall,” manager Tony Vitello said. “It’s nice to see that swing, for sure.”
Right-hander Trevor McDonald, vying for a bullpen spot, continued his rough stretch, allowing a grand slam in a five-run outing. He has given up nine runs in 5⅓ innings over his past three appearances.
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“Not a great outing,” Vitello said. “I think his whole body of work was pretty good. Outing wasn’t so good today, but that’s going to be a part of things.”
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Catcher battle: The most hotly contested race in camp all spring is at backup catcher, and it carries higher stakes than previously known because the Giants could lose whoever doesn’t make the roster.
Daniel Susac, of course, is a Rule 5 player, and he must be on the roster all year or would go through waivers with any team being able to take him. In the highly unlikely scenario he wasn’t taken, the Giants would have to offer him back to the A’s. Sacramento would take him back, it’s safe to say — Susac, 24, hit 18 homers at Triple-A Las Vegas last year.
Eric Haase, the experienced defense-first veteran, it turns out, has an opt-out in his minor-league deal with the Giants at the end of the spring — so if he doesn’t make the roster, he can explore other options unless San Francisco convinces him his best situation might be to wait at Triple-A Sacramento as Susac is evaluated in a big-league regular-season setting.
“It’s kind of boiled down all along to Susac and Haase, so we’ll see where we’re at,” Vitello said.
Most managers prefer a backup catcher with strong defensive skills who works well with the pitching staff, and Vitello is no different, saying he prioritizes defense with catchers.
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Susac performed well behind the plate this spring, and there isn’t an enormous gap there, but Haase, 33, is the better defensive catcher.
Their offensive numbers have been similar this spring: After Saturday’s game, Susac was batting .333 with two homers in 17 games and Haase .286 with two homers in 18 games.
New guy: Before leaving for the Bay Area, the Giants signed left-handed reliever Ryan Borucki to a one-year contract, the team announced. Hayden Birdsong, who will undergo Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, was placed on the 60-day injured list as the corresponding roster move.
The Chicago White Sox released Borucki on Friday. The almost-32-year-old has been in the majors for parts of eight seasons, pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays last season.
The late-spring signing could mean the Giants are feeling iffy about their left-handed options out of the bullpen, which include Matt Gage, Erik Miller and Sam Hentges. Miller dealt with back soreness early in spring and Hentges is yet to pitch in a game with the Giants and missed all of 2025 recovering from knee surgery.
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Borucki has a 4.28 ERA in 187 career appearances, including 21 starts.
The DH situation: Rafael Devers has a tender hamstring, which means he has been slotted in at designated hitter of late, including in Saturday’s Cactus League finale. But don’t mistake the trend for one that will translate into the regular season.
Devers is expected to be the everyday first baseman and the designated hitter spot, Vitello said, will feature something of a rotation depending on matchup, or who has the hot bat.
That plan became clearer when Bryce Eldridge was optioned Wednesday — he would have been a regular DH, perhaps flipping to first base to give Devers a breather, if he made the team.
“I don’t mind going on record and saying it’s a fluctuating deal,” Vitello said. “You want that lineup where everyone comes in the locker room and knows exactly where they’re going to be each given day. I don’t think that’s going to happen this early in the season. For the most part, you know where your spots are other than that. It’s a good thing to have that, in the best season I was part of, there was a revolving door where you’re maybe going matchup or guy swinging it well.”
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The final roster isn’t set in stone, but Jerar Encarnacion and Casey Schmitt along with starters Heliot Ramos and Rafael Devers are among those who profile as DH options.
Walker back: The bullpen could use a pillar or two, and Ryan Walker looks poised to become one again.
Inconsistent mechanics last season led the 30-year-old to lose the closer role he claimed with authority in 2024. Walker’s cross-fire delivery creates super deception at its best, but he got too slow to the plate and the movement on his slider suffered as a result last year.
Walker has been back in rhythm this spring having not allowed a single run or walk with eight strikeouts in seven appearances. That included a seven-pitch, one-strikeout save Thursday night against the Kansas City Royals.
The closer situation is fluid, Vitello has maintained, but Walker has been solid.
“The gear he’s pitching in right now is a little bit like, give me the ball,” Vitello said on Thursday. “I’ve never been around him before, but he seems ultra confident to me. So those are the two things going to last season that I like best. To me, there are three, four, maybe five guys you can trust with the game in the balance and he’s one of them.”