Eight days, Giants fans. Eight days are all that stand between you and watching your beloved ball club play real, meaningful baseball games again. On Thursday March 27, the Giants open the 2025 campaign and the Buster Posey era in Cincinnati against the Reds. As the Cactus League, and the Giants at least eyebrow-raising dominance in it, wind down, there’s a number of storylines churning from Scottsdale as the Giants play their final few games in Arizona this weekend.
On Monday, the ominous news of Jung Hoo Lee heading to the MRI room to have his suddenly troublesome lower back checked out was a dark cloud for San Francisco. But Tuesday afternoon brought relieving news. The MRI, probably precautionary and less of a dark mark than many fans perceived it, showed no structural damage. Bob Melvin said Lee will likely play in a few of the final exhibition games and if all goes well, start in the season opener.
Another hot topic has been the race for the fifth, and possibly fourth, starting pitcher spots. The front three is solidified. Logan Weeb will of course get the ball on Opening Day. Then Robbie Ray, who is having a blistering spring training, will go in game two. Veteran Justin Verlander will be the Giants third starter as he looks to prove to himself and everyone else he can still be an elite starter.
Then comes some question marks. The favorite at the moment is probably Jordan Hicks. He was signed and is paid to be a starter. That matters. But the spring training performances of Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp have fans, and maybe those within the clubhouse, thinking those two should be the final two starters. Hicks is naturally a bullpen guy, sliding him into the seventh or eighth inning high leverage role would make for a formidable back end of the bullpen paired with what might be the best combination of Giants starting rotation.
The one who has been left out of these conversations is Kyle Harrison. While there’s a ton of positive momentum surrounding Giants pitchers in Arizona, Harrison has been on the other side of that spectrum. He’s struggled mightily after a disappointing back half of 2024. His velocity has been down, the WHIP has been up, and he doesn’t look much at all like the heralded prospect of the last few springs. Time will tell, but maybe a start to the season in Sacramento would do Harrison well. He’s still got a lot in the tank.
Wednesday afternoon was one of the best days of the year for media. The Giants hosted an open house where they provided samples of several new food items featured at Oracle Park this season. Check it out below and all over the KNBR socials!