CINCINNATI -- When the Giants lined up at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, two of their best young starting pitchers were announced. A third was 2,000 miles away.
Kyle Harrison will start the season with Triple-A Sacramento, but the Giants still believe he'll have plenty of opportunities to start games at the big league level this season. President of baseball operations Buster Posey said before the opener that right now they want the lefty to focus on his development.
"We think the world of Kyle," Posey said. "It's a disappointment for him, but we still have belief in a bright future for him. It's a luxury to have the amount of arms that we have, and it is difficult to have to send somebody of his stature down, but I'm hopeful that he uses this as an opportunity to just continue his growth and developing pitches and just his overall aptitude as a Major League pitcher."
Harrison spent all of last season in the big leagues, making 24 starts while also twice going on the IL with minor issues. An ankle sprain cost him time early in the summer and he wasn't quite right when he came back, leading to shoulder inflammation that required an offseason of rehab. He was behind all camp, and the fifth starter competition ended up being Landen Roupp against Hayden Birdsong.
Harrison will start the 2025 season in a pretty strong Triple-A rotation. The Giants haven't announced their minor league rosters yet, but Keaton Winn, Tristan Beck, Mason Black, Carson Whisenhunt, Trevor McDonald, Carson Seymour and Carson Ragsdale all could be options for the Triple-A rotation and big league appearances this year.
Roupp ended up winning the fifth spot, and he'll take the ball Tuesday in Houston. Birdsong is in the bullpen for now, but the Giants aren't worried about harming his development as a starter. They believe he can stay stretched out, and there are zero concerns about the mental aspect of going back and forth.
"He's got the quiet confidence walking around the clubhouse, on the mound, he's got it in his interactions with his teammates," Posey said. "For us to have him here in the bullpen, it obviously gives us some more length in the pen along with (Spencer) Bivens. It's electric stuff that can carry you for three, four, five innings if you need to. It's a big weapon."
San Francisco Giants
Harrison was behind from a workload standpoint in late March, but he did show signs of progress the further he got into the spring. His velocity was back in the 93-95 mph range as the Giants prepared to head home.
"I think he's trending in the right direction," Posey said. "We'll see, we'll keep an eye on him. Is velo important? Yeah, velocity is important. It's not everything, but it is important and he's moving in the right direction."
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The Top Guy
The Giants aren't ready to announce where Bryce Eldridge will begin the season, but it appears likely he'll be in Arizona a bit longer. Eldridge missed a lot of March with left wrist soreness, but the Giants don't have long-term concerns. The tests came back clean, they say.
"He just needs a little more rest," Posey said. "He's still feeling it a little bit, but nothing we're concerned about."
Eldridge is the organization's top prospect and the hope is that he can debut at first base at some point in the second half. He finished last season in Triple-A, but played only about a week in Double-A, and the Giants are giving strong consideration to having him return to Richmond initially.
Trainer's Room
Jerar Encarnacion certainly would have been in the lineup on Saturday had he stayed healthy, but instead he'll have surgery on his hand fracture on Friday. Encarnacion was scheduled to have the procedure on Monday but there was a travel delay. The Giants will have a better idea of his recovery timetable after the procedure is done.
Encarnacion was supposed to get a lot of the DH at-bats, and many of them will now go to Luis Matos. Wilmer Flores, the hero of Thursday's win, will be the primary DH but also will play first base against lefties.
