Buster Posey explains Giants’ Opening Day lineup, choosing Jared Oliva over Luis Matos
SAN FRANCISCO — When Jared Oliva made his major-league debut virtually six years in the past with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he performed six video games amid a world pandemic in silent ballparks. The solely followers within the stands have been manufactured from cardboard.
Oliva, 30, made it again to the massive leagues for 20 video games the next season, enjoying most of them in Pittsburgh. Although there have been flesh-and-blood followers within the stands, PNC Park had the inhabitants density of South Dakota.
Oliva would spend the subsequent 5 years trying to make it again, exhausting the remainder of his 20s at Triple A with 4 completely different organizations and enjoying winter ball for no matter Mexican or Dominican workforce would have him.
After an off-to-the-races spring as a non-roster invitee with the San Francisco Giants, which included a Cactus League-leading 14 stolen bases in 15 makes an attempt, Oliva achieved his objective. He’ll stand on the chalk line for pregame introductions because the Giants open their season towards the New York Yankees. The ballpark will probably be filled with followers who’ve working voice packing containers. The noise will probably be overwhelming, as ought to Oliva’s sense of accomplishment.
The Giants parted with a former prime prospect, designating outfielder Luis Matos for task, so they may add Oliva’s expertise to a bench that may greatest help a longtime lineup by offering pace and late-inning protection over pinch hitting.
It did not damage that Oliva did the whole lot proper to slot in with the remainder of the group.
“To a man, you go in the coaches’ room or in the locker room, everyone’s behind JO and thrilled that he’s on the team,” Giants president Buster Posey stated. “With a lot of hard conversations the last few days, that one stood out as a real bright spot, to tell him he was on the team.”
Giants supervisor Tony Vitello described Oliva’s response as “excited and intense, and when he reflected on how hard he’s had to work to get to an Opening Day setting, then it got different. So it’s pretty awesome, and I think he’s earned it. I’d probably have an added question here to answer if he wasn’t with us. So it’s nice when the guys make the decision for you.”
The Giants needed to trim three wholesome gamers Wednesday morning whereas setting their Opening Day roster. They saved Jerar Encarnacion and Oliva over Matos, who should clear waivers earlier than he may be outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento. They selected Rule 5 draftee Daniel Susac because the backup catcher in a detailed competitors with veteran backstop Eric Haase, who had an opt-out and was granted his launch. And the Giants saved one among their two remaining non-roster bullpen candidates, buying the contract of right-hander Caleb Kilian and reassigning former Detroit Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer to Sacramento.
The Giants selected Caleb Kilian over Michael Fulmer, Daniel Susac over Eric Haase, and Jared Oliva over Luis Matos.
—Andrew Baggarly (@andrewbaggarly.bsky.social) March 25, 2026 at 9:19 AM
We know who the gamers will probably be to begin the season. What we do not know, particularly in relation to the bullpen, is how they are going to be deployed. Neither Posey nor Vitello provided specifics on who will function the nearer or which relievers will start within the highest-leverage roles, they usually may play matchups to some extent whereas sorting by way of their choices. But the broadly held assumption is that Ryan Walker will get first crack at pitching the ninth.
As for the batting order, the Giants are splitting up their left-handed bats as a lot as they will towards Yankees left-hander Max Fried whereas making the curious alternative to begin one among them, Luis Arraez, within the leadoff spot. An argument may be made that the Giants could be higher served slotting Arraez sixth or seventh, the place his contact expertise may make a much bigger affect on situational at-bats.
For now, they’re prioritizing stability — most likely as a result of a right-handed hitting pocket would depart them much more susceptible than they already are due to their all-right-handed bench.
“If you took a step back from how exciting this day is, what you’re trying to do is figure out what you got, what you need to do, where you can improve, what are maybe some areas you’ve got to cover up that might be a weakness,” stated Vitello, who talked round a query concerning the lineup selections. “But… you let the guys play. If we had our preference, we’d like to stay out of the way and let them go at it and decide who’s better, just on this given day.”
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How tenable will an all-righty bench be over the medium to long run? Posey stated he wasn’t certain, however his group agreed that lefty-hitting outfielders Will Brennan and Drew Gilbert have been greatest served getting reps each day at Sacramento. With Brennan getting back from sports activities hernia surgical procedure final 12 months, and Gilbert lacking time this spring with a shoulder impingement, each gamers may use the additional time to give attention to getting more healthy, too.
Of course, this implies the Giants will probably be inconvenienced with some robust right-on-right matchups with hitters like Casey Schmitt (who’s beginning the opener at first base whereas Rafael Devers slots in at designated hitter out of an abundance of warning over his tender hamstring) and, when he is within the lineup, Encarnacion. But for essentially the most half, this can be a lineup that will probably be higher supported by an athletic bench than by a bunch of Michael Morse guys who can pop one in a pinch.
“We feel fortunate that we have a group of position players that want to be out there every day,” Posey stated. “It’s going to be our job, Tony’s job, the medical (staff’s) job to make sure we keep them as fresh and out there as much as possible.”
For all their discussions over the 26-man roster, Posey and GM Zack Minasian saved coming again to the identical level: They’ll want virtually twice as many gamers to contribute to what they hope will probably be a profitable season. And each unstated hope is that one among them will probably be 21-year-old prime prospect Bryce Eldridge.
“He’s such a physical force,” Posey stated of the 6-foot-7 first baseman and lefty-hitting DH. “For a 21-year-old, his skill set is already very, very refined as a hitter. So it’s about how you compete in certain moments, whether you have to raise the energy level, bring the energy level down a little bit. And we saw between the Sacramento (exhibition on Sunday) and then the first (exhibition in San Francisco on Monday), he got some really good swings off. So Bryce has a bright future in front of him. What he’s got going for him the most is belief in his own ability, but also, from what I can tell, his understanding of changes that he needs to make to become the best player he can be.”
That concept — taking ownership of your own development — was a running theme in Vitello’s first spring training. What most struck Posey was watching Vitello over the past few days, when he had to take players aside and deliver bad news.
“He’s a relationship-maker type of person,” Posey said. “So the primary time going by way of this, having to bond with guys for six weeks or extra after which saying, ‘Hey, you are not on the workforce,’ was not one thing that was simple for him. And I personally admire that. Because within the skilled ranks of issues, it is simply a part of the enterprise, however … additionally you are not solely impacting that particular person, you are impacting households as nicely. So I’m appreciative that he’s considerate about that.”
