SF Giants reliever has pitched his way onto the Opening Day roster

The SF Giants have finalized their roster ahead of Opening Day. Spencer Bivens was not a surprising name to make the list, as Bob Melvin told Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area that Bivens has made the roster over the weekend.

SF Giants reliever has pitched his way onto the Opening Day roster

This news was seemingly connected to Sean Hjelle being optioned back to the minors. The 6-foot-11 pitcher entered camp with a firm grasp on a bullpen role after he posted a 3.90 ERA in 58 appearances last year.

Hjelle was used as a multi-inning reliever last year, but his effectiveness wanes after 25 pitches, so limiting him to just one inning makes sense. He yielded six earned runs with 14 strikeouts and two walks in eight innings this spring. There were some concerns about his diminished sinker velocity. That said, there is a good chance that Hjelle sees considerable time with the Giants this season even if he begins the year in the minors.

On the other hand, Spencer Bivens' chances of breaking camp did not look great to start the spring. He has two minor league options remaining, and oftentimes, that roster flexibility is leveraged to start the year.

However, the righty pitcher had a solid spring, completing 13.1 innings with 13 strikeouts and two walks. He was stretched beyond one inning a few times this spring, a role he will likely assume in the bullpen. In terms of bullpen roles, Bivens will likely be used to cover more than one inning for the bullpen, whereas the Giants will deploy Hayden Birdsong when a starter has a short outing.

Bivens is coming off of a successful campaign in 2024 as a 30-year-old rookie, where he registered a 3.14 ERA, 4.79 FIP, 1.19 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, and a 3.36 SO/W rate across 48.2 frames with the Giants. He also has a fascinating story that includes pitching in independent ball and joining the Giants as an undrafted free agent. Incredibly, Bivens' name was not called during any of the 40 rounds after his collegiate career concluded in 2018.

On the mound, the right-handed hurler does not overpower with velocity, but he gets plenty of ground ball contact from a mid-90's sinker that comes from a high, three-quarters arm slot. He mixes in a sweeper and changeup, both of which were tough on opposing batters.

The Giants do like Bivens' strike-throwing ability, so if he continues to perform well, he could see leverage spots down the road. For now, he will likely be used in lower-leverage spots.