SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants appeared to commit to an everyday designated hitter when they signed Jorge Soler to a three-year, $42 million deal last year.
But Soler’s tenure with San Francisco ultimately proved short-lived; he appeared in only 93 games for the Giants before getting shipped to the Braves as part of a cost-cutting move at last year’s Trade Deadline.
Since moving on from Soler, the Giants have largely steered away from installing another full-time DH, preferring to rotate different bats through the spot to optimize matchups and give some of their regular position players an occasional break from the field. They figure to maintain that flexibility this year, though Wilmer Flores and Jerar Encarnacion remain the most likely candidates to draw consistent reps there once the regular season begins.
“Flo is swinging the bat pretty well,” manager Bob Melvin said before the Giants’ 7-3 loss to the Rangers on Thursday. “So is Encarnacion. And then you always want to potentially target a day for [Matt] Chapman, a day for [Willy] Adames, a day for whoever. We’ll spread it around some. I don’t see one particular DH.
“It depends on performance, too. If we have somebody that gets hot, like an Encie, and he’s on the team and he’s providing some power, he could get a lot of those reps. Same thing with potentially Flo. It allows us to get Flo at first and maybe [LaMonte] Wade [Jr.] some DH at-bats, too. We’ll figure it out.”
Flores, 33, is expected to serve as Wade’s platoon partner at first base but could earn more playing time at DH if he bounces back and regains the productivity he showed in 2023, when he hit .284 with an .864 OPS and a team-high 23 home runs. Flores tried to play through a nagging right knee issue last year, but he was noticeably compromised at the plate, batting a career-low .206 with a .595 OPS and four homers over 71 games before undergoing a season-ending Tenex procedure in August.
Still, Flores has looked more like himself now that he’s back healthy this spring, hitting .286 (8-for-28) with one home run over 11 Cactus League games.
“His at-bats are way different right now,” Melvin said last week. “He’s driving balls to left field, he’s hitting some fastballs. … I think last year he was really affected by the leg, and it just looks like different at-bats this spring already.”
Flores’ seniority should make him the frontrunner to start at DH on Opening Day, though the Giants have also been intrigued by Encarnacion, who is batting .316 (12-for-38) with one home and a team-high 13 RBIs over 14 exhibition games.
“I’m really happy for the opportunity and very proud of the work that I’ve been doing,” Encarnacion said in Spanish.
Encarnacion started last season in the Mexican League, but he ended up joining the Giants on a Minor League deal after bashing 19 home runs in 93 at-bats for Oaxaca. The 27-year-old slugger earned a callup with San Francisco in August and continued to impress, hitting .248 with a .702 OPS and five homers over 35 games.
Encarnacion is out of options, so he should get plenty of runway with the Giants this year, especially since he can play first base and the corner outfield in addition to serving as a DH option.
“As long as I’m in the lineup, I’m good,” Encarnacion said. “I can’t complain. As long as I’m in there, praise be to God.”
Worth noting
• Left-hander Robbie Ray was charged with two runs on three hits -- including a solo homer to Adolis García -- over 4 1/3 innings against the Rangers, lowering his ERA to 1.93 over three Cactus League starts. He’s walked none and struck out 17 over 9 1/3 combined innings, embodying the Giants’ emphasis on strike-throwing this spring.
“As long as you don’t walk guys, you’re giving your team a chance,” said Ray, who threw 65 pitches. “It’s definitely to keep the hitters on the defensive. Hitters don’t like hitting when they’re behind, so let’s just get ahead of guys and put them away.”
• Right-hander Keaton Winn started a Minor League game at the Giants’ Player Development Center at Papago Park on Thursday and gave up one run on three hits over 2 2/3 innings. He walked none and struck out four in the 39-pitch effort.
• Hector Borg, the Giants’ coordinator of Latin American Development, will manage the team of prospects who will compete in Saturday’s Spring Breakout matchup against the Rangers. The coaching staff will also include third-base coach Jacob Heyward, first-base coach Lipso Nava, hitting coach Travis Ishikawa and pitching coach Dan Runzler.