SF Giants news: Luis Arráez’s number, Bryce health update, Justin Verlander nugget

Spring training officially got underway for the SF Giants in Tuesday. There were plenty of news nuggets, including Luis Arráez’s number, a health update on Bryce Eldridge, and interest in a reunion with Justin Verlander.

SF Giants news: Luis Arráez’s number, Bryce health update, Justin Verlander nugget

Luis Arráez to wear No. 1

The Giants finalized a one-year deal with Arràez as soon as camp opened up. In a corresponding roster move, Randy Rodríguez was transferred to the 60-day injured list. The 40-man roster remains full.

Arráez immediately went to work with infield coach Ron Washington. He had multi-year offers on the table, but chose to sign with San Francisco because they offered him a chance to return to second base.

The veteran infielder will wear No. 1, per Shayna Rubin of The San Francisco Chronicle. That number was last worn by Drew Gilbert in 2025. Gilbert switched to No. 0 in the offseason.

Health update on Bryce Eldridge

According to Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News, Bryce Eldridge will not be slowed in spring training after undergoing offseason wrist surgery, 

Eldridge’s 2025 debuted was slowed by a wrist ailment. That lingered throughout the season, and he had offseason surgery to relieve the discomfort. 

That injury hardly impacted the power-hitting prospect’s overall numbers. He slashed .269/.333/.510 (119 wRC+) with 25 home runs, 84 RBI, and 46 runs in 433 plate appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A.

Eldridge earned a late-season promotion to the major league roster. He tallied only three hits in 28 at-bats, but flashed the type of raw power that has made him one of the top prospects in baseball.

The Giants have not fully committed to the idea of starting the season with Eldridge on the roster, but they have also not blocked the path to playing time at DH. If he hits well in spring training, that might take the decision out of the Giants’ hands. They would probably be okay with that.

Potential reunion with Justin Verlander?

The Giants rounded out the rotation with the additions of Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle. However, Buster Posey told reporters on Tuesday that they had reached out to Justin Verlander’s camp about a reunion earlier in the offseason. 

Posey followed that up by saying that he had not had dialogue with Verlander recently. 

The future Hall of Famer did pursue a reunion, rejoining the Detroit Tigers on a one-year deal. He spent the first 13 years of his career with Detroit, which included winning two Cy Young Awards and the 2011 AL MVP Award. 

Verlander spent the 2025 campaign with San Francisco. He posted a 3.85 ERA across 29 starts. He hopes to reach 300 career wins, but only added four wins to his ledger in a Giants uniform. The Giants struggled to give Verlander run support and close out games during his starts.