Latest SF Giants roster cuts shed light on competition for key bullpen role

The SF Giants announced a wave of roster cuts on Wednesday, headlined by Bryce Eldridge. However, they also reassigned three non-roster lefties, providing some clarity on the competition for the second left-handed reliever in the bullpen.

Latest SF Giants roster cuts shed light on competition for key bullpen role

Erik Miller is the only southpaw reliever on the 40-man roster. However, he has been slowed by finger numbness and an illness. The Giants are putting a lot of weight into Miller staying healthy and replicating his numbers from last season.

They do have some experienced lefties in camp. This includes veteran pitcher Joey Lucchesi. However, quite a few veteran left-handed relievers were available on affordable deals. The Giants opted for a different approach, and time will tell if that was correct.

That said, the Giants did option trio of left-handed relievers. This includes Raymond Burgos, Miguel Del Pozo, and Ethan Small. Oddly, Small did not make a Cactus League appearance before being reassigned.

The lefty pitcher spent all last season on San Francisco's 40-man roster but did not make an appearance with the club. He sustained an oblique strain and was limited to just 14 games, including 10 with the Sacramento River Cats.

Burgos did make his major league debut with the Giants last season, allowing one earned run in one inning of work before being optioned and outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He allowed one earned run across 3.2 innings this spring.

Lastly, Del Pozo completed two scoreless outings with the Giants this spring. He has a 9.82 ERA in 27 outings in his major league career.

Giants manager Bob Melvin has downplayed the idea of the bullpen needing a second left-handed reliever. Most have at least two, and it would limit the club's ability to play matchups late in the game. Given this, they should carry at least two in the bullpen.

Joey Lucchesi is likely the frontrunner if the Giants do carry multiple lefties in the bullpen given his experience in the majors. Helcris Olivarez, Carson Whisenhunt, Enny Romero, and Antonio Jimenez are also competing for a spot.

The Giants want to get Whisenhunt stretched out to start, so that would seemingly take him out of the running. Jimenez had a bad outing, but his bullpens caught Melvin's attention earlier in camp. The competition for the second bullpen lefty is seemingly down to four pitchers if Whisenhunt is excluded.