SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NEWS

Kervin Castro - Has edge for roster spot Castro is viewed as a favorite to earn a bullpen spot on the Giants' Opening Day roster, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Impact Castro has allowed one run on four hits and five walks while striking out eight in 4.1 innings through three Cactus League games. That one run came Saturday versus the Dodgers. The right-hander is an option for a bulk relief role -- he logged 13.1 innings without allowing an earned run in 10 appearances last season. He also went 6-1 with a 2.86 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 44 innings with Triple-A Sacramento in 2021, so the 23-year-old should be a good fit for a major-league bullpen without many defined roles.

APRIL 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Zack Littell - Solid in spring Littell has allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout in three innings across three Cactus League games.

Impact Littell was very effective in 2021, working in everything from an opener role to a fill-in at closer occasionally. He posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 63:24 K:BB with a 4-0 record, two saves and five holds in 61.2 innings. Entering 2022, Giants manager Gabe Kapler still hesitates to give strictly defined roles to his relievers. Jake McGee, Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers are expected to be in the closer committee, while Littell's versatility will see him often work in the middle innings. Given his 3.86 FIP from last season, he'll likely face a little regression in 2022.

APRIL 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Giants bullpen offers deep, effective mix with no set closer

Coming off a franchise-record 107 wins and a division crown, the San Francisco Giants will open the season with a bullpen stocked with experienced, proven relievers but without a d...

APRIL 3, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brandon Belt - Rusty in spring debut Belt (knee) struck out swinging in his two plate appearances Saturday and said it may take a few weeks for him to find his rhythm at the plate, Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury...

Impact He will have played at most three exhibitions games before Opening Day, and Belt hopes to play both Monday and Tuesday before determining his status for Opening Day. Belt only played in four spring training games last year and still set a career high with 29 home runs in 97 games, but he admitted that he's not where he'd like to be yet at the dish. The Giants are shorthanded, as LaMonte Wade and Evan Longoria are set to open the year on the injured list, so Darin Ruf, Wilmer Flores and Austin Slater could be set for more regular playing time early in the year.

APRIL 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Giants 10, Dodgers 2

APRIL 2, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

José Álvarez - Hit hard Friday Alvarez allowed four runs on three hits and a walk with one strikeout in one inning in Friday's 7-7 tie with the Rangers.

Impact A key part of Alvarez's success in his first year with the Giants was his ability to limit home runs -- he allowed two in 64.2 innings. The southpaw pitched to a 5-2 record, 2.37 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 42:19 K:BB and eight holds in his 67 outings last season. Alvarez figures to serve mainly as a middle reliever or opener again in 2022, so he'll likely have limited fantasy appeal outside of formats that count holds given his lack of reliance on strikeouts.

APRIL 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Jarlín García - Settling in for versatile role Garcia allowed one hit and one walk with one strikeout in 1.2 innings versus Texas on Friday.

Impact Garcia had allowed five runs across his first 1.2 innings in spring training, but he settled down Friday. The southpaw saw a versatile role last year as a multi-inning reliever. He posted a 6-3 record, 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 68:18 K:BB in 68.2 innings across 58 appearances. He added a save and 11 holds with the occasional look in high-leverage moments. Garcia probably won't factor into the closer conversation much -- Jake McGee, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval are set to get the save chances early on. Garcia could still be an option if some of those late-inning candidates falter early in the season.

APRIL 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

How the SF Giants' potential closers view their committee role The Giants have yet to determine a preferred choice for the ninth inning.

APRIL 2, 2022 • MERCURYNEWS.COM

Giants notes: Brandon Belt set to make his long-awaited spring debut ... against Clayton Kershaw The Giants must determine whether Belt's inflamed knee will be ready for the opener.

APRIL 2, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Mike Yastrzemski - Starting Saturday Yastrzemski (quadriceps) is starting Saturday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Impact Yastrzemski was removed from Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Royals due to right quadriceps tightness, but he'll return to game action after missing several days. In spite of his absence, it seems likely that he'll be ready for Opening Day against the Marlins on April 8.

APRIL 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Brandon Belt - Making spring debut Saturday Belt (knee) is starting Saturday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Impact Belt will make his first appearance in a spring game Saturday after dealing with knee inflammation to begin camp. It's not yet clear whether the 33-year-old will be ready to play by Opening Day, but it's encouraging that he's returning to game action late in spring training.

APRIL 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Giants 7, Rangers 7

APRIL 1, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brandon Crawford - Breaks out of spring slump Crawford went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI in Thursday's 13-2 win over the Rockies.

Impact Crawford had gone 0-for-10 across his first four Cactus League games, but there was never any real concern he'd get on track. The shortstop had a career year at 34 years old last season, posting a .298/.373/.522 slash line with 24 homers, 90 RBI, 79 runs scored and 11 stolen bases in 138 games. Given his age and a career-best .334 BABIP fueling his offense last season, it's fair to expect noticeable regression in 2022. That said, he's likely to play almost every day since he's excellent defensively, and he should hit in the heart of the order.

APRIL 1, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Alex Wood - Looking good in spring Wood has allowed just two runs on seven hits and a walk with 10 strikeouts in 10 innings across three Cactus League starts.

Impact Wood allowed his first runs of the spring in Thursday's 13-2 win over the Rockies. The right-hander enjoyed a bounce-back campaign in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park last season, going 10-4 with a 3.83 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 152:39 K:BB across 138.2 innings. He's still more likely to end up toward the back of the Giants' rotation, but he's a solid and budget-friendly source of strikeouts. Regression shouldn't be much of a factor -- his 3.47 FIP last season suggests he was slightly unlucky, and it was in line with his previous work before his two-year slump in 2019 and 2020. Wood should be fine as long as he can avoid injury absences.

APRIL 1, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

A name of their own: Hanks to toss 1st pitch for Guardians

Tom Hanks will launch a new era of Cleveland baseball

APRIL 1, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alex Cobb - Velocity up this spring Multiple scouts have heard that Cobb, whose fastball averaged 93 mph last season, is hitting 97 mph this spring, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com.

Impact Cobb's four-seamer and sinker each topped out at 95 mph last season, so if he has indeed added a couple ticks to his fastball, he could be in for a career year. The 34-year-old righty was excellent across 93.1 innings last season with the Angels, logging a career-high 16.5 K-BB% and a 53.3 GB%. If he can build back up to the 150-plus innings he logged in 2017 and 2018, Cobb could be one of the best fantasy values on the pitching side this year.

MARCH 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Giants 13, Rockies 2

MARCH 31, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Giants will benefit from MLB's temporary rule changes Most importantly, the temporary rule changes should help players around MLB stay healthy after a strange, shortened spring training.

MARCH 31, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Steven Duggar - Potential depth outfielder Duggar is making a case to begin the year with the Giants, Alex Simon of the Mercury News reports.

Impact Manager Gabe Kapler likes Duggar for his defense and his speed, per Simon. The 28-year-old outfielder hasn't done much on offense this spring -- he's 2-for-15 with a home run, two walks, two RBI and three runs scored in six games. With LaMonte Wade (knee) set to miss the start of the season, Duggar is increasingly likely to make the Opening Day roster as a depth outfielder capable of playing all three positions. He'll also be a candidate as a pinch runner, though it's unlikely he works into a starting role without doing more at the plate.

MARCH 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Anthony DeSclafani - Strong showing in win DeSclafani allowed one run on six hits and struck out two over 4.2 innings versus the Royals on Wednesday.

Impact DeSclafani has already covered 7.2 innings across two Cactus League appearances. He's allowed one run, eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts. The 31-year-old right-hander was excellent with a 3.17 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 152:42 K:BB in 167.2 innings last season. He'll likely slot into the middle of the Giants' rotation, with Logan Webb and Carlos Rodon occupying the top spots. DeSclafani should be a solid late-round option in fantasy if he can come close to replicating his 2021 campaign.

MARCH 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Tyler Rogers - Returns Wednesday Rogers (lower leg) allowed two runs on three hits in one-third of an inning in Wednesday's 9-5 win over the Royals.

Impact Rogers got the last out of the fifth inning after starter Anthony DeSclafani ran into trouble. It's encouraging to see Rogers back in action after he took a comebacker off the leg Saturday versus the Reds. The submarine-throwing righty posted a 2.22 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 55:13 K:BB across 81 innings as one of the Giants most reliable relievers last year. He added 30 holds, 13 saves, six blown saves and a 7-1 record. Rogers is expected to be part of the late-inning mix, though Jake McGee is considered the early favorite to close games this season.

MARCH 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Brandon Belt - Could play Monday Belt (knee) could make his spring debut Monday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Impact Knee inflammation has slowed Belt throughout camp, but the Giants still have some optimism that he'll be ready for Opening Day. If he's able to avoid the injured list, he'll still likely see a reduced workload over the first week or so of the season, as he'll have played in a maximum of two spring training games.

MARCH 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Tommy La Stella - Playing second base Thursday La Stella will play the field at second base in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Impact La Stella has been limited throughout spring training while making his return from Achilles surgery in October, and he'll play the field after serving as the designated hitter in his Cactus League debut earlier this week. Manager Gabe Kapler said the 33-year-old was running at about 80 percent Tuesday, and his return to playing the field is a good sign for his Opening Day availability. La Stella could see more action at designated hitter early on if he's not at full strength to open the campaign, and at this point it appears he won't require a stint on the injured list.

MARCH 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Giants 9, Royals 5

MARCH 30, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Where will Michael Conforto play baseball in 2022?

With Opening Day almost here, Michael Conforto still needs a team for 2022. Jordan Shusterman ponders where he could end up.

MARCH 30, 2022