Key part of the SF Giants bullpen might be in trouble for Opening Day

The SF Giants season starts in about two weeks, and a pair of key left-handed relievers in Erik Miller and Sam Hentges have not made an appearance yet in the Cactus League. That would leave Matt Gage as the primery southpaw reliever in the bullpen.

Key part of the SF Giants bullpen might be in trouble for Opening Day

Before the season began, the left side of the bullpen felt like the one true strength. Both Miller and Gage have done well in situational roles in the past. Miller has limited left-handed hitters to a .527 OPS across two seasons with the Giants. On the other hand, left-handed hitters posted just a .591 OPS against Gage last season. On Monday, the Giants added to this group by re-signing Joey Lucchesi, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

Hentges has been more effective against left-handed hitters, but can be used against right-handed hitters as well. On paper, this could lend itself to a leverage role. The Giants might also need Miller to assume a larger role in the bullpen as well.

Gage is fine as a situational lefty, but using him in the later innings as a setup man might be a stretch. He has a good slider, but his fastball sits comfortably in the low 90's. Typically, teams prefer to lean more on velocity in leverage spots.

In theory, Miller and Hentges could fill key roles in the bullpen. The only problem is that they have not thrown in a game yet. With two weeks left to go in the Cactus League, time is running out to get ready for the season.

Relievers typically need 6 - 8 appearances to get ready for the year. At this point, that would be tough for the Giants to squeeze in with both Hentges and Miller. One of the latest updates on Hentges came from Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle, who reported last week that he would throw one more bullpen before getting into a game. Hentges underwent knee surgery toward the end of last season, and that has delayed his start in camp.

On the other hand, Miller threw a bullpen session last week and could be inching toward game action this week. He has missed the first part of spring training due to a back ailment.

Nearly every role in the Giants bullpen is up for grabs. That said, Hentges and Miller have a quality track record that could provide much-needed depth to that unit.