SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When the San Francisco Giants line up on Great American Ballpark’s third-base line on March 27, Tom Murphy likely won’t be among the 26 players in uniform.
The Giants announced on Monday morning that Murphy (mid-back disk herniation) will receive an epidural injection and be re-evaluated in the next few weeks. Manager Bob Melvin told reporters it’s not completely certain that Murphy, who received a second opinion on Sunday, won’t be ready for Opening Day but said there’s a “definite possibility” that Murphy starts the season on the injured list.
“It’s going to be a couple weeks of inactivity, strengthening, stuff like that. Then, there’s a buildup after that,” said manager Bob Melvin. “So, it’s going to take a while.”
With Murphy likely to miss most, if not all, of spring training, the Giants have added catcher Adrián Sugastey to major-league camp as a non-roster invitee. Sugastey, 22, spent all of last season with Double-A Richmond, hitting .210 with a home run and 22 RBIs over 52 games.
“We’re certainly looking at some other guys right now,” Melvin said. “It gives these guys more reps and more opportunities to get looks.”
If Murphy begins the season injured, the list of candidates to be Patrick Bailey’s backup catcher is headlined by Sam Huff and Max Stassi. Of the two, Huff has the advantage of being on the 40-man roster while Stassi is a non-roster invitee, which means the Giants would have to designate a player for assignment to make room.
Huff, 27, has a career .768 OPS with 10 homers over 78 major-league games and impressed in the Giants’ Cactus League opener against the Texas Rangers. Along with hitting a 422-foot home run to center field, Huff won an automatic ball-strike system (ABS) challenge.
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Stassi, 33, has not played in the majors since 2022 but has caught 378 games at the big-league level. Stassi will get the start on Monday and catch Justin Verlander, his former teammate with the Houston Astros.
Murphy, 33, joined the Giants prior to last season on a two-year, $8.25 million deal with a club option for a third year, but played just 13 games last season due to a left knee injury. Over the last three seasons, Murphy has played only 74 games due in large part to various injuries, a list that includes a left thumb sprain and dislocated left shoulder.
At the beginning of spring training, Murphy told reporters that last season was the hardest year of his career, saying that “everything that could’ve went wrong went wrong” and that he didn’t handle the season very well.
“I don’t know how to handle those situations,” Murphy said last week. “You get your livelihood taken away from you, the things you enjoy doing. I’m an active person; you get that taken away from you. A lot of the things that make you you were taken away and I didn’t handle it well. It was not easy.”
“You could tell he wasn’t in a great space,” Melvin said last week. “He’s been through injuries before in his career. I think last year was probably the most frustrating based on the fact it was a new team and it was a great opportunity and now you’re out four months of the season. So, just a tough spot for him.”
Ramos to likely play next week
Left fielder Heliot Ramos is currently dealing with mild right oblique soreness but told reporters that he plans on throwing on Monday and hitting in the batting cage on Thursday. Ramos is targeting next Tuesday’s road game against the San Diego Padres to make his Cactus League debut.
Ramos initially felt the discomfort when Ramos dodged an inside sinker while facing right-hander Keaton Winn during Winn’s bullpen session. In 2023, Ramos missed several months due to a right oblique injury.
“It’s annoying because I wasn’t expecting it,” Ramos said. “I’ve been feeling so good. I came into camp ready. Taking a pitch, it happens. It makes no sense, but it is what it is.”
The 25-year-old also discussed how he dealt with plantar fasciitis all of last season, an injury he had never previously sustained. Ramos described the injury being on-and-off when he played with Triple-A Sacramento, feeling the effects more when he started playing every day. Towards the end of the season, Ramos tweaked his hamstring because he was trying to compensate for the plantar fasciitis. Ramos said he started using foot insoles to manage the ailment.
Miller clarifies ailment
Melvin told reporters on Sunday morning that left-handed reliever Erik Miller was dealing with numbness in a finger, but Miller clarified to reporters on Monday that he hasn’t been dealing with numbness, but inflammation at the top of his left middle finger in the sheath of the tendon. Miller anticipates that he will pitch in Cactus League games later this week.
Miller said it’s not nerve related and described the inflammation as a “literally not a problem.” The left-hander said he experienced something similar in his ring finger, but the sensation went away after several days.
“I saw the numbness thing and that makes it seem way worse,” Miller said with a laugh.
Miller, 27, plans to throw a live bullpen on Monday. After throwing 67 1/3 innings last season, the most he’s thrown as a professional in any year, the Giants are planning to slow play Miller this spring.
Along with discussing his status, Miller said he plans on adding a sinker and tweaking his slider.
Fitzgerald on verge of playing
Tyler Fitzgerald (lower back tightness) is progressing to full baseball activity. Fitzgerald, the Giants’ starting second baseman, will hit and take grounders on Monday. He should play in games this weekend.
