Gilbert (shoulder) latest to join Giants' growing list of early injuries

MESA, Ariz. -- One day after losing Rafael Devers and Harrison Bader to minor injuries, the Giants added another name to their list of banged up players.

San Francisco announced that outfielder Drew Gilbert will be withheld from throwing for the next five to seven days due to a left shoulder impingement. Gilbert, 25, is expected to be in the mix for a reserve outfield spot this spring, so the setback could dent his chances of making the Opening Day roster.

“He's better served taking some time off, from throwing in particular,” said Giants manager Tony Vitello, who previously coached Gilbert at the University of Tennessee. “My unprofessional assessment is the one thing with Drew is he's always going to want to go full speed. You guys saw, he was throwing as well as anybody in the big leagues for a couple days. Maybe this early in the year, he might have overdone it. But the bottom line is he's a little better served taking some time.”

Gilbert will refrain from hitting over the next couple of days, but he will likely be cleared to swing the bat before he resumes throwing again. Gilbert’s injury could create more chances for the Giants to evaluate several other outfield options, including Jerar Encarnacion, Luis Matos, Will Brennan and non-roster invitees Jared Oliva and Victor Bericoto.

Bericoto, 24, is already beginning to earn more playing time after going 5-for-11 with two home runs and seven RBIs over his first five Cactus League games. He got his first start in right field against the Dodgers on Friday and made the most of his opportunity, launching a fifth-inning grand slam off right-hander Christian Romero.

“He's looked good when he's been in there,” Vitello said. “I really like the looseness to his swing. I think the baserunning and defense is something that -- I don't want to say I undervalued it, but it's been a pleasant surprise to me that he's a well-rounded player. But ultimately, you want to get him as many at-bats as possible because that's probably a situation where if you hit, you don't sit.”

Devers (left hamstring tightness) and Bader (right thumb contusion) will also be limited in the coming days. Devers will be shut down from baseball activity for the next two to four days, but Vitello said he believes the 29-year-old slugger is in a good spot. Bader, 31, won’t hit for the next two days, so it’s unclear if he’ll be under any restrictions when he joins Team Israel for the World Baseball Classic.

“I think it'll be up to how he feels when he gets there and also how they want to handle the lead-up time,” Vitello said. “Basically, they kind of pick up where we left off. If they have a similar schedule, it's going to be up to him to dictate that.”

The Giants got better news on right-hander Joel Peguero (left hamstring tightness), who threw a live batting practice session on Friday and is on track to make his Cactus League debut next week. Fellow reliever Erik Miller has also not yet appeared in a game due to lower back tightness. The 28-year-old left-hander is expected to throw off flat ground before returning to the mound in the middle of next week.

With Miller and Sam Hentges (left shoulder surgery) both sidelined, the Giants are getting plenty of early looks at their other lefty relievers in camp, namely Matt Gage, Reiver Sanmartin and non-roster invitee Juan Sanchez.

Mahle debuts
An illness put Tyler Mahle a bit behind the rest of the Giants’ starters early in camp, but he finally got to debut with his new club on Saturday. The 31-year-old right-hander struck out two and walked one in a scoreless first inning in the Giants’ 8-2 win over the A’s at Hohokam Stadium.

Mahle has thrown seven different pitches over his big league career, but he spent the offseason focusing on getting more horizontal movement on his slider, which he used to strike out All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson to lead off the bottom of the first.

“Just something that’s moving left,” said Mahle, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal with San Francisco over the offseason. “Last year, I had a cutter, but it wasn’t a very good pitch. It had its purpose, which is a big part of it, too. To get that to expand a little more gloveside is something I worked hard on.”

Worth noting
• Eric Haase, a non-roster invitee who’s vying for the backup catcher job, went 2-for-3 with a grand slam off right-hander Eduarniel Núñez in the second inning.

• Right-hander Trevor McDonald fired two perfect innings and struck out three in his second Cactus League appearance, keeping his 0.00 ERA intact this spring.

• Josuar Gonzalez (ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Giants' No. 2 prospect) and Gavin Kilen (No. 3) saw late defensive action and teamed up to turn a double play in the bottom of the ninth.