Cobb didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Yankees, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk over 3.2 innings. He struck out six.
The right-hander was stingy but not efficient, getting the hook after needing 76 pitches (47 strikes) to record only 11 outs, but he was always likely to get a quick hook after being bothered by knee soreness late in spring training. Cobb is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he struck out a career-high 151 batters over 149.2 innings, but that was also the first time since 2018 he's been able to make more than 18 starts. The 35-year-old is next set to take the mound at home next week against the Royals.
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Giants' Mitch Haniger: Will be reevaluated next week
Rotowire
Haniger (oblique) will continue to rehab in Arizona and will be reevaluated next week in San Francisco, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Haniger is currently on the injured list with a left oblique strain. The outfielder has a chance to return by the middle of April, but his ETA will at least partially be determined by the evaluation next week.
Bart was unavailable off the bench for Saturday's contest and he will undergo a scan on his back before Sunday's game against the Yankees, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.
Bart picked up the injury during batting practice, Kapler said. The backstop should be considered day-to-day until the results of the imaging are available. Roberto Perez got the start in Bart's place Saturday and could be back in the lineup for Sunday's finale against the Yankees.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Advances to baseball activity
Rotowire
Slater (hamstring) has been cleared for baseball activities, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Slater has been out with a strained hamstring since mid-March. His original timeline held that he'd return in three or four weeks, though he might wind up missing a bit more than that. He's set to be reevaluated when the Giants return home next Friday, at which point a clearer timeline should emerge.
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Giants' Luke Jackson: Transferred to 60-day IL
Rotowire
Jackson (elbow) was moved to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
Jackson is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and the move confirms he won't be ready to go for at least two months. His former spot on the 40-man roster will go to Bryce Johnson, whose contract was selected in a corresponding move.
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Giants' Brett Wisely: Bumped from roster
Rotowire
Wisely was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday.
Wisely made the Opening Day roster but stuck around for just a single game. He appeared as a defensive replacement Thursday but now loses his spot to Bryce Johnson.
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Giants' Bryce Johnson: Contract selected
Rotowire
Johnson's contract was selected by the Giants on Saturday.
Johnson generated some buzz this spring by going 12-for-12 on the basepaths in the Cactus League and appeared to be trending towards a roster spot, but he ended up missing out. He didn't have to wait long, however, as the Giants optioned Brett Wisely to clear a roster spot after just one game. Johnson managed a below-average batting line (97 wRC+) as a 26-year-old in Triple-A last year, and the fact that the Giants kept him off the Opening Day roster suggests they're not particularly invested in him, but his wheels could give him fantasy relevance if he earns enough playing time.
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Giants' Wilmer Flores: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Flores will be on the bench Saturday against the Yankees.
Flores got the start at third base in the season opener, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. David Villar gets the start at the hot corner in the second game of the year.
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Giants' Joey Bart: Scratched with back tightness
Rotowire
Bart was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees due to back tightness, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Bart's 2023 campaign isn't getting off to a great start. He sat in favor of Roberto Perez on Opening Day, and it will again be Perez behind the plate Saturday. The Giants also agreed to a minor-league deal with Gary Sanchez, adding more competition at catcher.
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Giants' Gary Sanchez: Inks minor-league deal with Giants
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Sanchez signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Sanchez will first report to the team's spring training complex in Arizona before eventually being assigned to a minor-league affiliate. The catcher will have the ability to opt out of his contract if he's not promoted to the majors by May 1. Sanchez has managed a lowly .195/.287/.394 batting line over the last three seasons, although he has hit 49 homers during that span. The Giants currently have Joey Bart and Robert Perez handling catching duties, with Blake Sabol operating as a third catcher/utility player.
Estrada went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Thursday's 5-0 loss to the Yankees.
The Giants' offense was rather lackluster, but Estrada was a bright spot as the only San Francisco batter to get aboard multiple times. The 27-year-old hit .282 with eight RBI and two steals over 14 spring games. He was in the No. 6 spot in the order Thursday, and he should see regular time at second base with the occasional move to shortstop when Brandon Crawford needs a rest. Estrada posted 21 steals on 27 attempts while slashing .260/.322/.400 over 140 contests a year ago.
Webb (0-1) recorded 12 strikeouts but was handed the loss Thursday against the Yankees after he gave up four earned runs on four hits and two walks across six innings.
Webb tallied a career-high 12 strikeouts, but he served up a solo homer to Aaron Judge in the bottom of the first inning and a two-run shot to Gleyber Torres in the bottom of the fourth. His season debut came to an end when he walked Torres to lead off the bottom of the seventh, and that run came around to score off reliever John Brebbia. Webb will aim to keep the swings-and-misses coming -- but maybe limit the big flies -- in his next scheduled outing on the road against the White Sox.
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Giants' Brett Wisely: Makes roster after all
Rotowire
Wisely made the Giants' Opening Day roster, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.
Wisely was initially told he wouldn't make the Opening Day roster, but the Giants' last-minute moves opened up a spot for the versatile infielder. The 23-year-old will open his major-league career as a bench bat, and it's unclear how long he might stick with the big club.
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Giants' Michael Conforto: Starting in RF, batting second
Rotowire
Conforto is starting in right field and batting second in the Giants' season opener Thursday against the Yankees.
Conforto proved the health of his surgically-repaired right shoulder this spring while also slugging four home runs across 52 plate appearances of Cactus League action. The 30-year-old could be in for a big bounceback campaign in San Francisco after missing all of 2022.
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Giants' Thomas Szapucki: Beginning year on 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Giants placed Szapucki (arm) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Szapucki's move to the 60-day IL opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Roberto Perez and ensures the 26-year-old lefty will miss at least the first two months of the season. The Giants shut Szapucki down earlier this month after he experienced soreness in in his left arm, and he's since received multiple medical opinions on the injury, including a consultation with a doctor who specializes in thoracic outlet syndrome. The team has yet to provide an estimated timeline for Szapucki to resume pitching while he contends with an injury the Giants are currently terming as "left arm neuropathy."
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Giants' Austin Slater: Heads to IL
Rotowire
The Giants placed Slater (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.
Slater suffered a left hamstring strain March 16 and is expected to require 3-to-4 weeks to recover from the injury, so his absence will more than likely extend into late April. Whenever he completes a rehab assignment and is deemed ready to rejoin the Giants, the righty-hitting Slater is projected to fill a short-side platoon role in the outfield.
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Giants' Blake Sabol: Starting in left field in opener
Rotowire
Sabol will start in left field and bat eighth in Thursday's season opener versus the Yankees, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
A Rule 5 selection over the winter, Sabol looks like he may get the opportunity to handle a near-everyday role in the corner outfield to begin the season while Mitch Haniger (oblique) is on the shelf. The 24-year-old, who also has experience at catcher, earned his spot on the Opening Day roster after slashing .348/.475/.630 with three home runs and two steals in 20 Cactus League games.
