Detroit Tigers score: Infield prospect Kevin McGonigle homers, and potential backup Justyn-Henry Malloy left after colliding with prospect Max Clark.

As the regular season quickly approaches, the San Francisco Giants are getting prepared for what they hope will be a better year. It has been a bit of a struggle the past several years for the Giants. While 2025 might not be the year that San Francisco contends for a World Series or an NL West title, they do have the potential to be better. Overall, the farm system for the Giants is one of the worst in baseball.

Going into the regular season, the San Francisco Giants have a veteran talent ready to step up to the mound. Former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray had a breakout spring performance, as he focused on perfecting his changeup grip. During the offseason, Ray took the advice of reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and learned the ins and outs of the changeup grip. Skubal's changeup pitch is one of the best in the game, so for Ray to now have that knowledge and skill could be a huge advantage for the Giants.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jerar Encarnacion has a fractured left hand, according to multiple media reports. Encarnacion suffered the injury during Friday's spring training game while trying to make a catch in the outfield. It was unclear Saturday how much time he will miss. The 27-year-old was a candidate to be the team's full-time DH this season. He was having an excellent spring with two home runs and 14 RBIs — second in the Cactus League — to go with a .302 batting average. The Miami Marlins signed him as an international free agent in 2015. He made his MLB debut in 2022. He played in 23 games, posting three home runs, 14 RBIs, and two stolen bases with a .182/.210/.338 batting line.

Jacob Hurtubise, Blake Dunn and Stuart Fairchild are battling for the Cincinnati Reds' final two roster spots on the hitting side.

Jacob Hurtubise, Blake Dunn and Stuart Fairchild are battling for the Cincinnati Reds' final two roster spots on the hitting side.

The Arizona Diamondbacks can hit. Merrill Kelly started for Arizona, and pitched five innings. Four of those innings were excellent, but some missed locations led to three solo homers in the fourth inning by Matt Chapman, Patrick Bailey and Mike Yastrzemski.

Encarnación hit .302 with two homers and 14 RBIs in spring training.

Jerar Encarnacion was positioned to make an Opening Day roster for the first time in his career, no small feat given how his career has unfolded. Per manager Bob Melvin, the Giants will receive an update on Sunday.

In the end, the competition for the fifth spot in the Giants' rotation was always going to come down to Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp. The Giants announced on Saturday morning that they optioned Harrison to the minor leagues, leaving Birdsong and Roupp as the two finalists to round out San Francisco's rotation. Danville's Harrison, the Giants' top pitching prospect since he was drafted out De La Salle in 2020, was the favorite to win the spot entering camp after making 24 starts and tossing 124 1/3 innings last season, both second on the Giants only to ace Logan Webb.

Kyle Harrison is supposed to be a key part of the San Francisco Giants' starting pitching rotation, but the organization and fan base are still waiting for his emergence. The young left-hander's omission from the Opening Day roster is surprising at first glance, but Pavlovic explains why this move is perfectly reasonable. While it is obviously terrible luck for the 23-year-old to experience this sickness, especially at the onset of spring training, it might explain some of his recent struggles.

San Francisco Giants outfielder/designated hitterJerar Encarnacion has a fractured left hand, the team announced Saturday. Encarnacion suffered the injury during Friday's spring training game while trying to make a catch in the outfield. The 27-year-old was a candidate to be the team's full-time DH this season. The Miami Marlins signed him as an international free agent in 2015.

Having missed more than a week of action with a tight back, San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo hopes to be back on the field by the weekend. Lee, who last played on March 13, is expected to resume baseball activities on Saturday (U.S. local time), according to reports out of Scottsdale, Arizona.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jerar Encarnacion suffered a left hand fracture during Friday's spring training game against the Cleveland Guardians and awaits more testing.

Since last making the playoffs in 2021, there hasn't been much for San Francisco Giants fans to get excited about with the on-field product. The team has been painfully mediocre over the last three years, winning 80, 79 and 81 games respectively. Inconsistencies have plagued the team, with them being incapable of getting every facet of the game clicking at the same time. Leading the way in that regard is their somewhat unheralded ace, Logan Webb.

Jung Hoo Lee's availability for Opening Day is already up in the air. Now, the status of Jerar Encarnacion is also ambiguous. Encarnacion exited Friday afternoon's game against the Cleveland Guardians due to an apparent injury to his left ring finger after diving for a ball in right field, jeopardizing his availability for the Giants' first game of the season. Encarnacion, 27, projects to make the Giants' Opening Day roster as a bench bat who can play first base and both corner outfield positions.

A bit of a surprise in the pitching battle, and a the position player group is all about cemented.

The San Francisco Giants have had lots of changes occur this offseason, primarily when it comes to the roster itself, but also in the front office. Randy Winn returned to the team where he played five seasons of his career, earning the title of vice president of player development. In addition to that, a franchise icon also returned to the fold after a few years as a member of the team's board of directors; long-time catcher Buster Posey. This winter, he was hired as the president of baseball operations, replacing Farhan Zaidi.

There's never an great moment to sustain an injury, but in Jung Hoo Lee's case, the timing is especially unideal. The Giants are less than a week from Opening Day, and Lee hasn't played in over a week due to a nagging back ailment. Lee, though, believes it's “realistic” that he will be ready for San Francisco's first game of the season. “I want to look at the season as a long season,” Lee said through team interpreter Justin Han.

He won the Rangers their first World Series in 2023 and didn't end up with a contract extension as a reward that winter. As he walks into the season, he does so in the last year of the three-year deal he signed with the Rangers back in 2022. On the first occasion, as he entered the 2019 season with the San Francisco Giants, with a throbbing hip and a crackling knee and a new baseball operations chief, with whom to create a relationship, Bochy took a page right out of the “The Andy Griffith Show” regarding speculation about his future. Be the smartest Rangers fan.