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Giants' Rafael Devers: Lingering hamstring tightness
Rotowire
Giants manager Tony Vitello said Friday that Devers has started at designated hitter in the first two games of the season in part because of lingering tightness in his left hamstring, John Shea of The San Francisco Standard reports.
Devers first tweaked his hamstring in late February, and Vitello said there's "still little bit of a feeling in there." The skipper noted that Devers is capable of handling first base, if necessary, but it sounds like the club could keep him in the DH slot for a bit longer as a precaution. Casey Schmitt has started at first base in each of the Giants' first two contests.
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Giants' Casey Schmitt: Another start at first base
Rotowire
Schmitt will start at first base and bat seventh in Friday's game versus the Yankees.
Schmitt started at first base against lefty Max Fried in the opener and is now back at the position versus righty Cam Schlittler for the second game of the season. Meanwhile, Rafael Devers is again at designated hitter and Jerar Encarnacion is on the bench. Schmitt will likely need to get off to a hot start to remain an everyday player, but it's clear he's at least the preferred defensive option at first base for new manager Tony Vitello.
Birdsong underwent successful UCL reconstruction surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Birdsong was diagnosed with a sprained UCL in mid-March and elected to go under the knife. The right-hander will miss the entirety of the 2026 campaign and likely at least the first couple months of 2027.
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Giants' Casey Schmitt: Draws start in Opening Day loss
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Schmitt started at first base and went 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch in Wednesday's 7-0 loss to the Yankees.
The 27-year-old reached first in the second inning after being hit by Max Fried, accounting for Schmitt's lone time on base during the Opening Day rout. The San Diego State product is expected to play a utility role in 2026, though he drew the start at first base Wednesday while Rafael Devers served as the designated hitter. Schmitt appeared in a career-high 95 regular-season games in 2025, slashing .237/.305/.401 with 40 RBI, 34 runs scored and 12 long balls in 348 plate appearances.
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Giants' Luis Arraez: Singles in Opening Day loss
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Arraez went 1-for-3 with a walk in Wednesday's 7-0 loss to the Yankees.
Arraez drew a leadoff walk in the first inning and singled to right field in the eighth, extending his regular-season hitting streak to 16 games dating back to Sept. 10 of last season. The 28-year-old infielder was one of just three Giants to record a hit in the Opening Day rout. He's expected to operate as San Francisco's everyday second baseman after splitting time between first base, second base and DH with the Padres in 2025, when he slashed .292/.327/.392 with 66 runs scored, 61 RBI, 11 stolen bases and eight long balls across 675 plate appearances in 154 regular-season games.
Webb (0-1) took the loss versus the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk while striking out seven over five innings.
Webb was roughed up for five runs in the second inning and gave up two more in the fifth before exiting the game. He threw 58 of 86 pitches for strikes, which was right in line with his workload in his last Cactus League start Thursday. The right-hander is a true workhorse for the Giants, having topped 200 innings in three straight years and 30 starts in each of the last four campaigns. He pitched to a 3.22 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 224:46 K:BB over 207 innings in 2025 and should continue to eat innings with strong ratios again this season. Webb is tentatively projected to make his second start of the year on the road at San Diego next week.
The Giants named Susac to their Opening Day roster Wednesday.
A Rule 5 Draft selection over the winter, Susac was able to beat out Jesus Rodriguez and non-roster invitee Eric Haase for the No. 2 catcher job during spring training. So long as top backstop Patrick Bailey is healthy, Susac will likely play sparingly, and the Giants will need to stash him on the major-league roster throughout the season, or else he'll have to be offered back to the Athletics. The 24-year-old showed some potential with the bat in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last season with a .275/.350/.486 slash line to go with 18 home runs and seven stolen bases across 403 plate appearances, though he struck out at a 26.8 percent clip.
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Giants' Jerar Encarnacion: On bench for season opener
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Encarnacion is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Even after an impressive spring in which he posted a .759 OPS in the Cactus League, the right-handed-hitting Encarnacion will be passed over for a spot in the GIants' season-opening lineup against Yankees southpaw Max Fried. The Giants will go with Casey Schmitt at first base in the opener, while Rafael Devers starts at designated hitter.
The Giants selected Oliva's contract from Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday.
Oliva was in camp as a non-roster invitee and earned a spot after slashing .375/.444/.550 with one home run and 14 steals in Cactus League action. The 30-year-old has not played in the majors since 2021 and is poised to back up at all three outfield spots.
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Giants' Caleb Kilian: Contract selected
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The Giants selected Kilian's contract from Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday.
Kilian won a bullpen job as a non-roster invitee after yielding just one run with an 11:2 K:BB over 9.1 innings during Cactus League play. The 28-year-old is likely to operate in middle relief initially, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he pushes for a more high-profile role as part of a Giants bullpen that's in flux.
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Giants' Michael Fulmer: Fails to make Opening Day roster
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The Giants reassigned Fulmer to minor-league camp Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Fulmer joined the Giants as a non-roster invitee in February, and he had a solid showing during spring training with five earned runs allowed and a 16:4 K:BB over 10.1 innings. He made just three regular-season appearances between the Cubs and Red Sox last season after missing all of 2024 due to UCL revision surgery.
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Giants' Sam Hentges: Shifts to injured list
Rotowire
The Giants placed Hentges (shoulder/knee) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
The left-hander is working his way back from surgeries on his left shoulder and right knee, and he's not ready for the start of the regular season. Hentges progressed to facing live batters late in spring training, so he could be ready for a rehab assignment in the near future.
