Where Giants’ roster battles stand midway through spring training originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — The first Monday of the Cactus League season presented a puzzle that Giants manager Bob Melvin would rather have avoided. The Giants had a split-squad day, so Melvin and his staff had to figure out how to fill rosters for two nine-inning exhibitions at a time when just about every veteran was avoiding playing back-to-back games and every pitcher was being brought along carefully.
The second Monday of the Cactus League season was much easier. The Giants had the day off.
When they return from the golf courses and fancy restaurants on Tuesday, the Giants will have just one more off day before flying home to San Francisco for two exhibitions against the Detroit Tigers. From there, it’s on to Cincinnati for the first series of the 2025 MLB season.
Buster Posey, Zack Minasian, Melvin and the rest have a little over three weeks to decide which players will be on that flight to the midwest. Here’s a look at how some of their decisions are shaping up …
Catcher
This was supposed to be easy. Patrick Bailey is the Gold Glove catcher and Posey said on the first day of camp that Tom Murphy would be his backup. But on the second day of camp, Murphy was in the trainer’s room, and he hasn’t been seen since. The veteran, signed to a two-year deal before last season, has a mid-back herniation that required an epidural and almost certainly will miss Opening Day.
There are two leading candidates to win the backup job, and this could come down to how the Giants want to manage their 40-man roster. Sam Huff already is on it, and the 27-year-old hit a long homer in the first spring game. He’s a former top 100 prospect who was acquired from the Texas Rangers in January, and it’s hard not to wonder if the Giants might get an opportunity here to at least make up for some of the pain of losing Joey Bart. Like Bart a year ago, Huff is out of options.
If it’s not Huff, it’ll be Max Stassi, a veteran who has a strong reputation behind the plate. Stassi has spent his entire career — 403 games over 10 years — in the AL West, so Melvin knows him well.
So far, this race has failed to pick up steam. Huff is 1-for-10 with eight strikeouts since that homer; Stassi is 0-for-6.
Infield
The franchise is set on the left side for years to come, with Willy Adames joining Matt Chapman. LaMonte Wade Jr. will start at first and be backed up by Wilmer Flores, and…