The San Francisco Giants are looking to take their next step back to the postseason in 2025, but they are having trouble filling a key spot in their bullpen which could limit their ability to do so.
As of this writing the Giants have just one left-handed reliever on their 40-man roster. They came into camp hoping one of their non-roster invites would stand out, but nobody has “stood out yet” according to manager Bob Melvin.
The lone lefty on San Francisco’s roster is Erik Miller, who posted a 3.88 ERA and 1.307 WHIP across 67.1 innings of work in 2024. The now 28-year-old made his MLB debut last March for the Giants, and while the team is high on his potential, they’d probably feel much more comfortable with a second option in the fold.
The Giants had another left-hander on their roster in Taylor Rogers, but traded him to the Cincinnati Reds last month in a deal that netted them right-handed prospect Braxton Roxby in return. A curious move in hindsight considering Rogers was one of their more productive relievers last season.
In 60 innings of work during 2024 Rogers posted a 2.40 ERA and 1.25 WHIP while also fanning 64 batters.
Erik Miller is the lone left-handed reliever on the San Francisco Giants’ 40-man roster. They’re hoping another lefty emerges in camp, but no obvious candidates have “stood out yet,” according to manager Bob Melvin. https://t.co/fjwI94Db4P
— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) March 8, 2025
The good news for the Giants is that they still have almost a month to figure out if any of their non-roster invitees can come around and fill that role. As of this writing the team still has eight left-handers vying for a roster spot.
The one with the most major league experience by far is former San Diego Padres top prospect Joey Lucchesi. Lucchesi, who spent the last three years with the New York Mets, signed a minor league deal with San Francisco last month.
A career 4.10 big league ERA holder, Lucchesi has been pretty good through three spring training appearances not allowing a single run over 2.2 innings of work. This is a small sample size however, so he still has a lot of work to do.
Among the remaining invitees, no other names have any real MLB experience. This means that the Giants are facing a real possibility of entering the regular season with just one left-hander coming out of the bullpen.
In a division as deep as the NL West, this isn’t a position any manager wants to find themselves in, so it will be interesting to see how a seasoned skipper like Melvin plays this down the stretch.
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