SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants shored up their left-handed relief depth by agreeing to a one-year Major League deal with Ryan Borucki on Saturday.
Borucki, who turns 32 on March 31, joined the White Sox on a Minor League contract over the offseason and worked six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in six Cactus League outings this spring. He was released after being informed he would not crack Chicago’s Opening Day roster on Friday, though he quickly found a new opportunity with San Francisco.
The Giants were in need of more lefty relief options due to the injuries to Sam Hentges and Reiver Sanmartin. Hentges never appeared in a Cactus League game after struggling to build back up from his left shoulder surgery in September 2024, and Sanmartin is expected to miss up to three months after suffering a right hip flexor strain while pitching for Team Colombia in the World Baseball Classic.
Another left-hander, Erik Miller, was slowed by back tightness this spring, but he remains on track to be ready for Opening Night after making his third Cactus League appearance in the Giants’ 10-7 win over the Guardians at Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday.
Borucki, who has a 4.28 ERA over eight Major League seasons with the Blue Jays, Pirates and Mariners, should now be projected to serve as the second lefty behind Miller in San Francisco’s bullpen. Borucki’s arrival could come at the expense of fellow southpaw Matt Gage, who is out of options and has recorded a 2.84 ERA over seven Cactus League outings this year.
The Giants also re-signed left-hander Joey Lucchesi to a Minor League deal earlier this month, but the 32-year-old has made only three appearances thus far, giving up one run over three innings.
Ryan Walker, José Buttó, JT Brubaker, Miller and Borucki are expected to be part of the relief mix to start the year, but the Giants have several other candidates in the running to fill out the group, including Spencer Bivens, Keaton Winn, Tristan Beck, Carson Seymour, Trevor McDonald and non-roster invitee Caleb Kilian.
McDonald, the Giants’ No. 16 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was making a strong push for a spot on the pitching staff earlier this spring, but he hasn’t been quite as sharp in his recent appearances. He gave up five runs over two-thirds of an inning Saturday, raising his spring ERA to 6.94 over six appearances.
“I think his whole body of work was pretty good,” manager Tony Vitello said. “The outing wasn’t so good today, but that’s going to be a part of things. I think when you do have the outings where it’s not ideal, you’ve got to figure out a way to weather the storm and get things under control.”
To clear a spot for Borucki on the 40-man roster, the Giants transferred Hayden Birdsong (Tommy John surgery) to the 60-day injured list.