Breaking down Giants' roster battles halfway through Spring Training

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- More than halfway through Spring Training, the Giants’ roster appears to be coming together, with the club debuting its possible Opening Day lineup against the White Sox on Thursday.

While most of the major pieces are already in place, there are still a handful of spots up for grabs that could remain sources of intrigue until the team breaks camp later this month.

Here’s a look at where three of those position battles currently stand:

Fifth starter
One of the Giants’ biggest remaining questions is who will join Logan Webb, Justin Verlander, Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks in the Opening Day rotation this year.

Left-hander Kyle Harrison, who threw the second-most innings (124 1/3) of any Giants pitcher last year, was viewed as the favorite coming into camp, but he gave up five runs over 1 2/3 innings in his last outing against the D-backs on Wednesday and is still struggling to dial up his velocity. The 23-year-old averaged 91.2 mph on his fastball earlier this week, down from 93.5 when he first debuted with the Giants in 2023.

“Just a flat start,” Harrison said afterward. “I’m trying to work on coming out and throwing strikes early, and they were swinging at strikes early.”

Did the clunker hurt Harrison’s standing in the fifth-starter competition?

“We’re still early to where one outing isn’t really going to affect it too much,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We’ll see where it goes. But he’s got some more work to do.”

While Harrison isn’t out of the race, he quickly seems to be losing ground to Landen Roupp, who has opened eyes by striking out 11 over 8 1/3 scoreless innings across his first three Cactus League outings. The Giants are also evaluating two other right-handers -- Hayden Birdsong and Keaton Winn -- and could create more roster spots for some of their young starters by having them open the season in the bullpen.

“Whoever’s not in the rotation’s got a chance to pitch out of the bullpen, too,” Melvin said.

Bullpen
Ryan Walker, Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers, Erik Miller and Sean Hjelle feel like the only locks for the Giants’ bullpen right now, leaving as many as three spots for the taking this spring.

Miller is the only lefty reliever on the 40-man roster, and the club would ideally like to have a second one to replace Taylor Rogers this year, but none of the non-roster invitees in that bucket -- Joey Lucchesi, Enny Romero, Antonio Jimenez and Helcris Olivarez -- have stood out in Cactus League play thus far.

The Giants believe they have several other right-handed options who can handle lefties, including Spencer Bivens, Tristan Beck and Randy Rodríguez, so it’s possible they’ll roll with Miller as their lone southpaw to start the year. Righties Lou Trivino and Joel Peguero are also in camp as NRIs and have made strong impressions on the coaching staff, so they could be in the mix to win spots on the Opening Day roster as well.

Backup catcher
Tom Murphy is currently sidelined with a herniated disk in his back and may need to receive a second epidural injection, so he’s expected to open the season on the injured list. That leaves Sam Huff and Max Stassi as the top candidates to serve as Patrick Bailey’s backup at the beginning of the year.

Huff, 27, likely has the edge here, as he’s out of options and is already on the 40-man roster after being claimed off waivers from the Rangers over the offseason. He’s 4-for-13 with eight strikeouts and four walks over six spring games, but he’s also flashed his intriguing right-handed power by launching a 422-foot home run against the Rangers on Feb. 22 and smoking a 114.1 mph single and a 108.5 mph double against the D-backs on Wednesday.

“It’s a talented skillset,” Melvin said. “It’s getting consistent with it. Sometimes in a backup role, that can be difficult. But when you see a game like [Wednesday], you can’t help but see the skillset.”

Stassi, who will turn 34 next week, is 1-for-8 over six games and hasn’t seen as much action because he’s coming off hip surgery, but he’s known for his excellent defense and could give the Giants another veteran option to pair with Bailey.

“I’ve been around this game a while now,” Stassi said last month. “I just control what I can control. I go out there and try to prepare and get to know these pitchers well and let the cards fall where they fall. That’s a big thing for me.”