The San Francisco Giants play their penultimate game of the spring on Monday night, taking on the Monterey Sultans at Oracle Park, less than 48 hours before the start of the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. You can’t draw many conclusions from a game like this, but the Giants did a lot of what they hoped to do in a 10-2 victory. They mostly look fresh, energetic and focused. The biggest question mark on their roster — the bullpen — is performing extremely well. Matchday operations appear to be running smoothly, which is half the point of these home park exhibitions.
And they even got a hint of excitement from a key place.
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While the performance doesn’t tell us much, we can get some information before the game even starts. We’ve officially entered the preseason and lineup cards have meaning. There’s something there that needs to be decoded.
For example: Luis Arráez struck out the first pitch despite facing a left-handed pitcher. There’s been a lot of speculation as to where Alaes will hit — personally, I’d go with fifth or sixth — and the Giants haven’t said a word yet. This is our first real data point, and it seems safe to assume that the team’s new second baseman will hit first with some regularity. Likewise, Jung Hoo Lee also hit a cleanup shot, which seemed out of character. But we’re seeing more and more teams using contact hitters in the heart of the lineup, as the San Diego Padres did with Arras on multiple occasions last year. Could we see Lee – the team’s second-best contact hitter but one who lacks power – occupy the fourth spot in the lineup from time to time? It looks like the answer might be “yes.”
It’s also worth noting that Rafael Devers is the designated hitter and Casey Schmitt starts. Devers still hasn’t played since returning from a mild hamstring injury, and now it wouldn’t be surprising if that continues into the season.
Speaking of players not on the field, Harrison Bader is once again out with a hamstring injury of his own. Missing this game will certainly raise some questions about Bader’s availability for Wednesday’s opener, and may even affect the idea of him starting the year on the injured list. Jared Oliva takes over for Bader at center, and he continues his development toward becoming the 2026 Player of the Year Award winner. The Christian Kos Award is given to non-roster invitees who have no chance of making the team, they’re there just for minor league depth, but wow, they did play well, hehe, they did play a lot, wait a minute, maybe they did have an outside chance of making the roster, although that would be crazy Oh, hey, yeah, they made the Opening Day roster award. Working title. If you have any feedback please let me know. If Bader isn’t healthy by Wednesday, Oliva’s spot on the roster is essentially locked up.
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These lineup card observations reveal more than we learned in the actual games, but there are also some takeaways from the action. Tony Vitlow opted to go bullpen instead of giving Adrian Hauser or Landon Rupp the final start, which could be a sign that he plans to shorten the rotation for the first week of the season and use one of those players as a ninth bullpen arm who needs to get on the field as soon as possible. Or, more likely, it points to a desire to put in some extra work for as many arms as possible.
I’m most confused by Saturday’s signing of left-hander Ryan Borucki, who debuted in the second inning on a triple grounder and was helped by some crafty work by his infield defense…including himself.
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If there is competition in the bullpen for the left-hand spot, Borucki will be in a three-way tie Monday, while the other candidates (Eric Miller and Matt Gage) have also pitched perfect innings. All three hit the strike zone, with Borucki hitting 10 of 14 strikes, Miller 8 of 11 and Gage 9 of 13. But aside from a healthy competition, there probably won’t be competition. Earlier that day, at giant talk On the podcast, reporter Alex Pavlovich said the team has been leaning toward three left-handed relievers, and Borucki’s signing seems to confirm that — neither he nor Gage are options, and there’s no way Miller will be left off the Opening Day roster. As such, it looks like all three will be taking their place in the chalk on Wednesday.
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But who will join them? Spencer Bivens was the favorite but not a lock, going scoreless in the first inning with two strikeouts, although he also gave up two hits. Tristan Baker didn’t have much pop, but he was a terrible sweeper, and he was perfect in the third inning with two strikeouts. Caleb Kilian required just 10 pitches in a three-and-out fifth inning, though his velocity was nowhere near what we saw earlier this spring, which topped out at 96.0 mph. The Giants need some power, and Killian feels like a logical choice to make the roster as an NRI, especially since Gregory Santos has been reassigned to minor league training camp. Santos made that final statement, though, reminding us all that he could be a great addition to the bullpen at some point this year: He pitched a scoreless ninth pitch with a hit and a strikeout, eight of 11 pitches with a strikeout, and his fastball velocity reached 99.2 mph.
Even Marques Johnson, who didn’t participate in training camp this year, impressed with his chances, pitching a perfect eighth inning on just nine pitches while striking out two with a feast of dynamic sweeper/cutter combos.
The only pitching issue came from Carson Seymour, who gave up four singles and two runs in the inning. That said, Seymour didn’t get fired up or out of control: He threw 19 strikes in 25 pitches, and the one hit he allowed was a 68.3 mph hit, with two more hits in the 80s. His defense didn’t help him either, with a rare sloppiness in the inning: Heliot Ramos betrayed himself in an attempt to create a chance for his teammates, dove on a ball he probably shouldn’t have dove on… and then, in a don’t-injure-yourself-before-Opening Day manner, lightly jogged behind the ball to turn second base into third. Later in the inning, Alas committed a throwing error on a play that Schmidt must have thought he should have caught.
Offensively, there are exciting signs of life. Schmidt and Patrick Bailey had back-to-back outfield singles to start the third inning, with Schmidt scoring on Oliva’s bunt single (one of his two infield hits on the day). Lee Jung-hoo hit a two-run double in the bottom of the inning, and the Giants began to take control of the game.
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In the sixth inning, Willy Adames, who had had a rather dismal spring, hit his first home run (Ramos was nearly hitting consecutive hits, and his fly balls deceived the broadcast room, if not the atmosphere).
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But the exciting shot of the day came in the eighth inning. As the Giants began to pull their regulars, Bryce Eldridge came on for his only at-bat of the day. To his dismay, Eldridge was drafted last week, all but ensuring he wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster. He donned a AAA Sacramento jersey during the organization’s intrasquad game on Sunday, hitting a power-play home run off Tyler Mahle and later hitting a double. On Monday, against the Sudanese, Eldridge played in a major league ballpark for the first time in his life (sorry, the Athletics — Sutter Health Park doesn’t count).
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With two on and one out and the score 3-1, Eldridge picked up a cutter on the outside of home plate and easily fired the ball into the left field bleachers.
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Lest you question Eldridge’s power potential, you won’t see many opposite home runs hit that easily at Oracle Park. Especially not from a 21-year-old bat.
This was certainly the statement Eldridge made to Vitello and Buster Posey. He took the task in stride and said and did all the right things. But he wants there to be no doubt about where he’s going, and no doubt about how quickly he’s getting there.
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This game may be about getting ready for Opening Day, but it’s ultimately about the future.
Some other notes:
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Tyler Fitzgerald also hit a home run, which was great to see. He had a tough training camp, but his speed, strength and versatility are what make him so intriguing. He’ll work his way back onto the roster (he’s already been drafted) and should get plenty of opportunities if he performs well in Sacramento.
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It’s been a busy day for an outfielder still in training camp trying to earn a spot. Aside from Oliva’s 2-3 day, Luis Matos drew a run and Drew Gilbert singled in his only home run appearance. Will Brennan went 0-1 and Jerar Encarnación did not play.
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Matt Chapman made some great defensive plays. He looks ready.
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Crook and Kupp interviewed them in-game: Posey, Arraez, Logan Webber and Sergio Romo. This is very interesting.
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The Giants’ five hardest-hit pitches of the day: Ramos’ flyout (104.5 mph); Oliva’s infield single (103.9); Eldridge’s home run (103.8); Adams’ big fly (102.3); and Schmidt’s single (101.4).
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The team’s final exhibition game will be against the Sultanes at Oracle Park on Tuesday and will air on NBC Bay Area at 6:45 p.m. PT. It will be interesting to see if the Giants use their regular lineup again or if they give their veterans a day off before Opening Day.
