SF Giants Press Clips Wednesday, March 28, 2018

SF Giants Press Clips Wednesday, March 28, 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Giants cut Steven Duggar, keep Gregor Blanco, Gorkys Hernandez, 2 unlikely relievers John Shea Center fielder Steven Duggar came out of manager Bruce Bochy s office after hearing from general manager Bobby Evans, bench coach Hensley Meulens and Bochy that he didn t make the Giants season-opening roster. The first to greet him? One of Duggar s competitors for a roster spot, Gregor Blanco. What I like about him is, he listens, Blanco said moments later. He s humble. He works hard to get better every day. The Giants set their 25-man roster Tuesday night, give or take Mark Melancon, and Duggar wasn t on it. He ll open the season at Triple-A Sacramento, where he ll play every day, something he wouldn t have done in the big leagues with Austin Jackson in the fold, especially with the Giants facing a lot of left-handed starters in the coming weeks. The Giants are keeping two backup outfielders, Blanco and Gorkys Hernandez, and eight relievers. That includes right-handers Pierce Johnson, 26, and Roberto Gomez, 28, who were dark horses throughout training camp. Kelby Tomlinson made the team as a backup infielder, and Josh Rutledge was reassigned to the minors. Excited, man, Duggar said. It s a situation to play every day and continue to improve. I felt I did some good things. I felt like I played some good defense and had some good games offensively. Some inconsistencies along the way, but that s part of growing and getting better. 1

Typically, Duggar mentioned the help he received from many of teammates, including Blanco. He was right there with me every step of the way, always in my ear, talking to me, giving me advice, Duggar said. Injuries to other pitchers helped Johnson s and Gomez s cause, but both impressed management regardless. Johnson s ERA in seven outings was 0.00, and he struck out two of his three batters Tuesday. Gomez had 13 strikeouts and four walks in 81/3 innings, posting a 3.24 ERA. It hasn t hit me yet, said Johnson, the 43rd overall draft pick by the Cubs in 2012 who pitched in the minors for six seasons but has pitched just one big-league inning. It s been an honor to be in camp. They gave me an opportunity, and I tried to seize it. It s a privilege to be on the roster with so much talent here. It s been amazing. The Giants don t have a true long reliever, but Bochy said Johnson and Gomez could be stretched to two or three innings. Melancon, coming off pronator surgery, is iffy for Opening Day. The Giants will decide after he plays catch Wednesday whether he ll be included on the Opening Day roster. If not, another reliever will be summoned. San Francisco Chronicle Mark Melancon is Giants latest medical concern, questionable for opener John Shea The Giants can t afford to lose another marquee pitcher, but they might be on the verge of losing another marquee pitcher. Manager Bruce Bochy wouldn t definitively say whether closer Mark Melancon, who underwent pronator surgery in September, will be on the Opening Day roster. We re hoping he s all good to go Thursday, Bochy said of the opener at Dodger Stadium. We don t know at this point, right now, if that will be the case. Melancon played catch Tuesday and will throw again Wednesday morning, after which he ll be re-evaluated. The Giants flight leaves for Los Angeles at 1:30 p.m., and the team s hope is for its $62 million investment to be included in the traveling party. Neither Bochy nor general manager Bobby Evans provided Melancon s exact physical issue, whether he has pain, a lack of strength or something else. But it s a big enough issue that Melancon missed the three-game Bay Bridge Series, usually a good forum for any closer to get his final tuneup for the season. 2

Right now, we don t have him on the disabled list, Evans said. If there seems to be an issue we feel like is best handled by the short-term DL, we can do that. It s jumping the gun to anticipate that. We have to wait and see how he s doing. We ll be cautious. That s from Day 1 of spring training, to be cautious. After receiving his four-year, $62 million deal before last season, Melancon pitched just 30 innings and posted a 4.50 ERA with 11 saves in 16 chances. His Sept. 12 surgery was to relieve compression from his forearm. Evans said Melancon had no setback: Obviously, he s post-surgery. We re continuing to make sure he s in good shape. The Giants will open the season without two of their top three starters. Madison Bumgarner (broken bone in his left hand) won t return until at least early June, and Jeff Samardzija (strained pectoral muscle) will miss three to four weeks but will throw Wednesday for the first time since being shut down. Furthermore, it was revealed Tuesday that Rule 5 reliever Julian Fernandez has a UCL sprain, which often leads to Tommy John surgery. He ll get a second opinion and will open on the DL, making it unnecessary for the Giants to offer him back to the Rockies, which usually is the case if a Rule 5 draftee isn t on the 25-man roster. With Fernandez and perhaps Melancon out, relievers initially projected to begin at Triple-A Sacramento could be added to the Opening Day roster, and Hunter Strickland and Sam Dyson would be the likely closer options. The preference still is to fill rotation and bullpen holes internally, Evans said, not acquire players from the outside. You never shut the door on external options, Evans said. We ve got some guys ready who can help us internally. That s my sense. Evans said Fernandez s loss the Giants would be on the hook for his $545,000 salary wouldn t affect the goal to remain under the $197 million luxury-tax threshold. We re under enough to have room for the unexpected, Evans said. The plan entering spring training was for Melancon to build arm strength through March, eventually appear in back-to-back games and be at full force for the opener. He was guarded with his comments after his first of five outings Discomfort is part of the process. I don t view it as a negative thing but did appear in consecutive games Thursday 3

and Friday. However, the latter outing lasted two outs, and he hasn t made another appearance. If Melancon is shelved, it would be his third DL stint with the Giants. MLB.com Giants' opening roster features speed, defense Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- What kind of team are these Giants who open the season Thursday at Dodger Stadium? They're definitely a veteran team, dominated by position players in their early 30s such as Evan Longoria, Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey, Andrew McCutchen, Hunter Pence and Austin Jackson. It's a team with a youthful component, too. Pitchers Ty Blach, Chris Stratton, Pierce Johnson and Roberto Gomez, second baseman Joe Panik and utility man Kelby Tomlinson are 28 or younger. The Giants could be a slugging team, at least occasionally. Their Cactus League log included victories of 14-0 and 13-0 -- against National League West foes Arizona and Colorado, no less. They might try to be a running team -- not necessarily with basestealing, but with opportunistic baserunning. "I think it's going to be huge for us," reserve outfielder Gregor Blanco said. "Seeing McCutchen, Jackson, Gorkys [Hernandez].... We're all excited to work together and develop our speed." To bolster a starting rotation lacking the injured Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija, the Giants almost certainly will have to be a defensive team, one that makes run-saving plays to keep games close. "I think that's going to be a big part of our team this year," Stratton said. Here's a capsule look at the 2018 San Francisco Giants, who finalized their season-opening roster after Tuesday's 3-0 exhibition victory over Oakland: Catcher (2) -- Buster Posey, Nick Hundley. This was one of the Giants' strongest positions last season and should be again. Posey looks poised for a big year. Hundley ranks among the best backups in baseball. First base (1) -- Brandon Belt. Typically a strong Spring Training performer, he hit.356 in 20 exhibition games. These were meaningful games for Belt, who proved that he has overcome the 4

concussion that sidelined him for last season's final 51 games. Second base (1) -- Joe Panik. He's talented enough to match teammate Crawford, who excelled so much in 2015 that he won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. Third base (1) -- Evan Longoria. Having reached age 32 while playing at least 156 games in each of the last five seasons, Longoria batted.317 and looked spry defensively in 15 exhibition games. Shortstop (1) -- Brandon Crawford. See above in Panik's entry. Crawford remains one of the league's most multifaceted shortstops. He has won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards and retains genuine offensive potential. Utility (4) -- Gregor Blanco, Gorkys Hernandez, Kelby Tomlinson, Pablo Sandoval. Blanco and Hernandez helped their cause by hitting.303 and.292, respectively. Tomlinson (.255) didn't hit much but looked competent at every position he played. Sandoval is a new man: slightly trimmer and considerably more mature. With a team-high 17 RBIs this spring, the Kung Fu Panda also proved he can still swing a bat. Outfield (3) -- Hunter Pence, Austin Jackson, Andrew McCutchen. This group is decidedly older but still effective. Pence occasionally looked awkward in left field, his new position, but was competent enough to survive. Jackson will be counted on to provide an assertive presence at the top of the order. The Giants would be thrilled if McCutchen could come close to duplicating his 2013 Most Valuable Player level. Starting pitchers (4) -- Ty Blach, Johnny Cueto, Chris Stratton, Derek Holland. The Giants hope to keep their record close to.500 while they await the return of Bumgarner (broken left hand) and Samardzija (strained right pectoral). None of these pitchers is overpowering. They'll have to compensate with savvy and precision. Relievers (8) -- Pierce Johnson, Roberto Gomez, Sam Dyson, Cory Gearrin, Josh Osich, Hunter Strickland, Tony Watson, Mark Melancon. It all starts with Melancon, the closer who's striving to overcome forearm surgery. If he can't pitch, expect Dyson, Watson and Strickland to appear in the closer's role. The Giants need consistency, so this could be an ever-changing group until they harness that quality. MLB.com Melancon might not be ready for opener Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Uncertainty continued to cling to Giants closer Mark Melancon, who hasn't pitched since Friday. Giants manager Bruce Bochy wouldn't guarantee that Melancon will be ready to perform 5

Thursday, when San Francisco opens the regular season against the reigning National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers. "We're hoping he's all good to go Thursday," Bochy said before Tuesday's spring finale vs. the A's. "We don't know at this point right now if that will be the case." Melancon, who underwent surgery in his right (throwing) forearm Sept. 12, said midway through Spring Training that he still felt mild discomfort in the affected area. He was lightly used during the Cactus League season, making five appearances. Melancon played catch Tuesday and will repeat the exercise Wednesday "to see where he's at," Giants general manager Bobby Evans said. "Obviously, he's post-surgery, so I think they'll continue to make sure he's in good shape." Asked whether Melancon had experienced a physical setback, Evans said, "No." If Melancon is unavailable, Bochy likely will rely on Sam Dyson, Hunter Strickland or Tony Watson to fill the closer's role. Injury updates Right-hander Jeff Samardzija, who's in the early stages of his recovery from a strained right pectoral muscle, visited the clubhouse for the first time since being injured last Wednesday and said that he will play catch Wednesday on flat ground. Samardzija cited his need to regain the range of motion in his throwing arm -- or, as he added, to make it "malleable" again. The Giants placed right-hander Julian Fernandez on the disabled list with a sprained UCL. Fernandez, the Rule 5 draftee from the Colorado organization, had 12 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings spanning eight Cactus League appearances, reflecting his impressive stuff. He also allowed opponents to bat.303 against him and owned a 13.50 ERA, suggesting that he's still learning how to pitch. NBC Sports Bay Area Duggar doesn't make Giants' Opening Day roster Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO For six weeks, Giants players and coaches praised Steven Duggar s work ethic and desire to get better every day. Duggar did all he could to make the opening day roster, but there was nothing he could do about the schedule. Over the first 11 days of the season, the Giants have two days off and could face six left-handed starters. That will mean a lot of starts for Austin Jackson, and in the end that meant Duggar didn t have a chance of lining up at Dodger Stadium on Thursday afternoon. He will begin the season in Triple-A, with veterans Gregor Blanco and Gorkys Hernandez backing up Jackson, 6

Andrew McCutchen and Hunter Pence. We really watched him continue his development and progress, manager Bruce Bochy said of Duggar. This kid really handled himself well. He s a pro and he worked his tail off. It wasn t something he did. With the way it sets up, we want him playing every day. He s a gifted center fielder, we know that. I just don t want him sitting at this point of his career. Bochy went on to call Duggar a really special player, and it seems likely that should he get off to a good start in Sacramento he s up in San Francisco soon. Duggar took the news in stride, saying he understands the situation. He s coming off a year in which injuries limited him to just 192 plate appearances. To be able to go down there and play every day, that s an important part to keep in mind, he said. I think being able to play every day will benefit me long term, for sure. As Duggar continues to progress, the Giants will lean on defense in their outfield. Blanco and Hernandez are glove-first players at this point of their careers, although Blanco should see time against right-handed starters. The Giants are aware that they have an older outfield, and Bochy has said he ll try to limit Jackson and Pence s innings when he can. Blanco has appeared to be a lock for the team for weeks. He duplicated his 2012 effort, making the team as a non-roster invitee for the second time. It s awesome. It s great, he said, smiling wide. It s a dream come true for me. It was hard to leave (for the Diamondbacks) last year but it s definitely a learning experience. In addition to Blanco and Hernandez, the Giants will carry Nick Hundley, Pablo Sandoval and Kelby Tomlinson on their bench. The eight-man bullpen currently consists of Mark Melancon, Sam Dyson, Tony Watson, Hunter Strickland, Josh Osich, Cory Gearrin, Pierce Johnson and Roberto Gomez, although Melancon could open the year on the DL. Johnson and Gomez were the last two to make it, and both benefited from the fact that they can throw two to three innings for a staff that doesn t have a designated long man. Johnson is a particularly cool story. He was part of the first round of cuts on March 12 but threw well in minor league camp and again when he was called up for spot duty with the big leaguers. In seven spring innings, he allowed just one hit. NBC Sports Bay Area Jeff Samardzija plans to test pectoral strain on Wednesday Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO Jeff Samardzija, who turned 33 earlier this year, said he hasn t missed a practice or game since having inner ear surgery in the seventh grade. It s understandable, then, that Samardzija is trying to speed up the rehab schedule after suffering a strained right 7

pectoral. Samardzija will play catch on Wednesday, picking up a ball for the first time since having an MRI the day before the Giants left spring training. He hopes that leads to a bullpen session and soon a return to the mound, although team officials are preaching caution. I want to pitch, Samardzija said. I don t enjoy watching. It doesn t sit right with me. Samardzija will open the season on the disabled list, marking his first DL stint of a career hitting its 11th year. In discussing his injury Tuesday, he didn t sound concerned, although it should be noted that Samardzija did not publicly display much concern during spring training, when his velocity was down four to five miles per hour and he was hit hard repeatedly. Samardzija said the strain is pretty standard stuff, and something that he usually feels in spring training, only to get right after three or four appearances. It s just that this year it didn t dissipate as in the past, he said. We just weren t getting that response. It was a holding pattern after starts and in between. Samardzija said he was shoving the ball a lot, not throwing, and described feeling a lack of mobility in his shoulder as he pitched. He has been on mild anti-inflammatories over the past week and said he feels good, although he conceded that the training staff probably has a different timetable than he does. The Giants have said that Samardzija likely will miss the first three to four weeks of the season. With Samardzija and Madison Bumgarner on the disabled list, the Giants will turn to Ty Blach, Derek Holland and Chris Stratton to round out the rotation. They re hopeful that Samardzija s turn comes up just two to three times before he can join those three and Johnny Cueto. That process starts Wednesday, when Samardzija will pick up a ball. He said he ll know right away whether or not the rehab process will ramp up. It s going to be pretty obvious pretty early whether (the strain) is still there or not, he said. NBC Sports Bay Area Hard-throwing Giants prospect will get second opinion on elbow Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO When they plucked him out of Colorado s minor league system in December, the Giants hoped to have Julian Fernandez on their 40-man roster all season. They still might, but not in the way they expected. Fernandez, a right-hander who regularly touches 100 mph, will seek a second opinion on his right elbow after being diagnosed with a sprained right ulnar collateral ligament. That diagnosis often leads to Tommy John surgery, but team officials were cautious Tuesday when talking 8

about Fernandez s future. I think it s fair to say there s concern, manager Bruce Bochy said. That s why he s getting a second opinion. He felt it his last outing (of spring training). The Giants picked the 22-year-old in the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings, which puts them in an odd spot. Fernandez had a rough spring but still has plenty of promise, and with all the other injuries, there was a chance he might have made the team, at least initially. Bochy would say only that the decision would have gone down to the wire. Now, Fernandez will certainly start the season on the disabled list. If he had not made the team, the Giants would have had to offer him back to the Rockies, but they cannot do that with an injured player. If Fernandez does have surgery, the Giants will be on the hook for the major league minimum salary of $545,000, which ordinarily would not be a big deal, except for the fact that they re working so hard to stay under the competitive balance tax. General manager Bobby Evans didn t want to speculate, but said the team is prepared and remains under the tax right now. We have our understanding of the unexpected, Evans said. We were prepared for the unexpected to help us stay below the CBT. NBC Sports Bay Area Giants closer Mark Melancon may start 2018 season on disabled list Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO The damage done over the final couple of days in Scottsdale ended up being worse than it first seemed. Already without two of their top three starters, the Giants may also begin the season without their closer. Mark Melancon still feels something wrong in his surgically-repaired pitching arm and will not take the mound again before opening day. Melancon last pitched Friday, the day Madison Bumgarner got hurt, and manager Bruce Bochy said he s limited to playing catch for now. We re going to see how he s doing tomorrow, Bochy said. We re just not going to pitch him right now. We re hoping he s all good for Thursday but we don t know right now if that s going to be the case. We re just letting him play catch right now. That s all. Melancon had surgery last September to fix a right pronator strain, but he was slow-played all camp and at one point told reporters that he still occasionally felt discomfort in his right arm. Melancon did not make back-to-back appearances until the final two days of spring training and he did not come out of the second game feeling particularly encouraged. If Melancon does start the season on the disabled list, the Giants would likely turn to either Tony Watson or Sam Dyson in the ninth inning. Both served as a closer for part of the 2017 9

season, although Dyson had a rough spring, allowing 10 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. Hunter Strickland could also be an option. With a revamped slider, he hasn t allowed a run throughout the exhibition season. The Athletic Steven Duggar to begin at Triple-A, Mark Melancon uncertain, as Bruce Bochy announces Giants' Opening Day roster Andrew Baggarly Right-handed reliever Pierce Johnson was clear eyed and smiling from ear to ear. He d just gotten off the phone with his parents, and told them he would be a big leaguer on Opening Day. If there was a chance, it was a very small one, said Johnson, whom the Giants had optioned out of big league camp two weeks earlier. The stars aligned, pretty much. You ll forgive Johnson for his phrasing. He s understandably excited. Viewed through any other telescope, the Giants stars are very much crossed. Or veiled entirely. The Giants will open the season on Thursday without two-fifths of their rotation and two pillars at that, as Madison Bumgarner is expected to miss two months with a fractured hand and Jeff Samardzija gives his strained pectoral muscle a timeout on the disabled list. In addition to their Opening Day roster, the Giants revealed one more pitching casualty on Tuesday, when Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced that Julian Fernandez, the flamethrowing Rule 5 draftee, had been diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and was headed for a second opinion. It would be a mild surprise if this results in anything other than season-ending Tommy John surgery and a 60-day disabled list assignment that might include the silver lining that it will make it simple for the Giants to retain the right-hander beyond this season. If that wasn t enough, there is additional intrigue over closer Mark Melancon, whom Bochy acknowledged might begin the season on the 10-day disabled list with an undisclosed ailment. Melancon will play catch again Wednesday just prior to the team s flight to Los Angeles. A final determination will be made after that. Melancon had surgery last September to release the fascia of his pronator muscle in his forearm in order to alleviate pressure that had restricted blood flow. He made the last of five exhibition appearances on Friday. We re just playing catch with him right now, Bochy said. If we think he s ready to go, he ll pitch. We just want to be cautious and know he s good to go. 10

Aside from Melancon, Bochy unofficially announced the rest of the Opening Day roster. Kelby Tomlinson slogged through an emotionally difficult spring but defended his backup infield job against Josh Rutledge, althoughtomlinson already being on the 40-man roster probably played the biggest part in that decision. Johnson and right-hander Roberto Gomez were surprising additions to what will be a 12-man pitching staff. The Giants opted to keep both Gorkys Hernandez and Gregor Blanco as they begin with a five-man outfield. The Giants most watched decision of the spring ended up being almost preordained: rookie outfielder Steven Duggar will open the season with Triple-A Sacramento as the Giants seek to get him everyday at-bats. He might not be there long, though. Oh, no question, with how he s played and how he handled himself, said Bochy, asked if he expected Duggar to make his debut and be a factor this season. He s a gifted athlete, but he s also a learner. You see him talking to guys and listening. He ll be a good hitter, bunter, baserunner. We think we have a really special player. That s why we want him playing every day. The Giants are expecting to face left-handers in at least four of their first five games, meaning that Austin Jackson will see most of the time in center field in the first week of the season. Duggar, a left-handed hitter, appeared earnest in his enthusiasm to begin his season at Triple-A, a level where he has logged just 13 games. Missing so much of last season to forearm and hamstring injuries put the dynamic defender in an eager mood to get his season started, no matter where it happened to be. I definitely tried to soak up every second of being here, he said. I definitely feel I ve grown in every facet. As much as the Giants signed Jackson to play at all three outfield spots, it s worth noting that he didn t log a single inning at a corner spot in an exhibition season that ended with Tuesday s 3-0 victory over the A s at AT&T Park. So it makes sense that the Giants prioritized late-inning defense by keeping both Blanco and Hernandez. The Giants would have been taking quite the risk to begin the season with Duggar at the cost of designating Hernandez and/or cutting loose Blanco. What if the kid is batting.120 after three weeks? Where would they turn for center-field depth then? Duggar will be here eventually. So could Derek Law, Tyler Beede or Andrew Suarez. The Giants have a lot of pitchers with minor league options, and so it s expected that the Sacramento shuttle will be especially busy this season. A quick listing of the roster, followed by a couple notes: 11

Catcher (2) Buster Posey Nick Hundley Infield (6) 1B Brandon Belt 2B Joe Panik SS Brandon Crawford 3B Evan Longoria 1B/3B Pablo Sandoval 2B/SS Kelby Tomlinson Outfield (5) RF Andrew McCutchen CF Austin Jackson LF Hunter Pence OF Gregor Blanco OF Gorkys Hernandez Rotation (4) LHP Ty Blach RHP Johnny Cueto LHP Derek Holland RHP Chris Stratton Bullpen (8) 12

*RHP Mark Melancon RHP Sam Dyson RHP Hunter Strickland LHP Tony Watson LHP Josh Osich RHP Cory Gearrin RHP Pierce Johnson RHP Roberto Gomez * If he avoids the DL. Samardzija will play catch on Wednesday and he made no bones about trying to rush back from his pectoral strain as quickly as possible. He hasn t spent a day of his life on the major league disabled list and said he hasn t missed so much as a practice since seventh-grade football, when he had an inner ear surgery and sat out a single day. I don t even know what s going on right now, he said. The Giants need a fifth starter April 10. Could it be Samardzija? The way he was talking, he didn t appear to rule it out. My schedule in my head is a little different from what theirs would be, he said. I would like to throw a side (session) and an extended live BP and reassess after that. It s a five-day thing we can look at. That s just me spitballing. He described his pectoral strain as not causing him pain as much as a lack of mobility. I was just shoving the ball a lot instead of getting good whip in the arm, he said. It just comes from having the front and back of your arm loose and malleable and having that meat, you know, not so tight and a little more tender. Yes, that s right. Samardzija said he would return just as soon as he tenderizes his meat. 13