SF Giants: Silvino Bracho out with oblique strain
By Marc Delucchi
In a videoconference with reporters on Saturday, SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler revealed that right-handed pitcher Silvino Bracho suffered a left oblique strain and would be unable to work off a mound for at least 7-10 days.
Bracho seemed like a possible sleeper to make the Opening Day roster. With an open competition for the big-league bullpen’s final spots, the reliever struck out 12 batters against just 2 walks in 7.1 innings across 7 appearances during spring training. However, while his peripherals were strong, he did finish the preseason with a 4.91 ERA. Bracho was reassigned to the alternate training site in Sacramento at the end of spring training.
SF Giants RHP Silvino Bracho is out with a left oblique strain.
Bracho signed a minor-league deal with the Giants this offseason. As the team searched for bullpen depth, Bracho’s experience across five big-league seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks was surely appealing. Before he was outrighted by Arizona at the end of last season, he accrued 89.2 big-league innings and posted a 4.82 ERA (4.86 FIP).
Throughout his minor-league career, Bracho has been dominant. Even though he works without elite velocity or an obvious plus pitch, he’s posted a 2.97 ERA and struck out more than 35% of the batters he’s faced. Even if he missed the Opening Day roster, he is a strong candidate to receive an opportunity with the Giants at some point this season.
Next. SF Giants: Is Farhan Zaidi's honeymoon period over?
Assuming Silvino Bracho can recover quickly from his left oblique strain, he should rank highly among the SF Giants minor-league depth chart. The 28-year-old righty has been a dominant minor-league pitcher with a decent amount of big-league experience as well. He hopes to carry over his success in the minors to MLB this season.