SF Giants news: Lee's return, Encarnacion’s surgery, odd option, backup backstop

Opening Day is almost upon us. That means the SF Giants have been making lots of roster moves to get their roster ready for the start of the regular season. Let’s take a look at the team’s key recent developments.

Key SF Giants developments ahead of Opening Day

Encarnacion’s Surgery

The Giants got some bad news when it was revealed that designated hitter and outfielder Jerar Encarnacion fractured one of the fingers in his left hand when diving to make a catch while playing right field in a Cactus League game.

He is set to undergo surgery and will reportedly miss about a month but the timetable could fluctuate once the team knows more after the surgery. As our own Jeff Young pointed out, he is going to need a rehab assignment after he is healthy again which means his return will likely be at least a month and a half away.

There are several Giants who now have a prime opportunity due to this unfortunate news, so we will see if anyone can step up and take advantage of the opportunity.

Odd Option

The Giants decided to option the tall right-handed reliever Sean Hjelle to Triple-A to begin the year. The decision is a little odd because it seemed like Hjelle was a guy who would almost assuredly be in the bullpen after his solid 2024 campaign in which he had a 3.90 ERA in 80 and 2/3 innings pitched. 

Yet, he had options remaining and the Giants will probably carry non-roster invite Lou Trivino who has had a solid spring and who manager Bob Melvin remembers fondly from their time in Oakland together so Hjelle may have just been the odd man out. We will almost certainly see him at some point on the big league roster this year though. 

Backup Backstop

Unsurprisingly, Sam Huff will be the backup catcher for the Giants to start the season. After it was clear Tom Murphy would be out for a while due to injury, a competition between Huff and Max Stassi opened up to see who the backup behind Patrick Bailey would be.

Huff impressed at the plate, racking up nine hits and two home runs in 30 at-bats. We will see how much he is used given the fact that Bailey is so valuable with what he provides on defense, but every catcher needs a day off now and then so Huff will have a chance to impress every few games.

Lee's Return

Some other important notes are that Jung Hoo Lee returned to action in Sunday’s game against the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats. He drove in a run on a double and looked healthy which was a great sight after he had an MRI on his back last week. Based on this and barring any setbacks, it seems likely he will be in the team's Opening Day lineup.

Final rotation spot

The battle for the fifth spot in the starting rotation is now down to Landen Roupp and Hayden Birdsong with Kyle Harrison being optioned. Roupp looked solid on Sunday against Sacramento, allowing just one run in five innings of work while Birdsong allowed three earned runs while only getting one out in the 6th inning. It was reported that Birdsong will make the Opening Day roster so it seems he will either be the fifth starter or a long reliever. However, his rough outing could swing things in favor of Roupp to begin the season. 

The Giants only have two more exhibition games tonight and tomorrow against the Detroit Tigers before they begin the regular season in Cincinnati on Thursday. Let’s hope they stay healthy as they put the finishing touches on the Opening Day roster.