SF Giants’ Buster Posey discusses ‘hard’ decisions on Opening Day roster

SAN FRANCISCO — The toughest decisions Buster Posey had to make in his second time setting the Giants’ Opening Day roster revolved around three spots.

Posey opted for specialized skill sets over future potential by selecting Jared Oliva and Jerar Encarnacion over Luis Matos as San Francisco’s backup outfielders.

He decided to deprioritize platoon advantages by sending Drew Gilbert and Will Brennan, two left-handed-hitting outfielders, to the minor leagues, leaving first-year manager Tony Vitello with five right-handed hitters on his bench.

And he decided to go with new additions rather than known quantities to round out the Giants’ bullpen, selecting righty Caleb Kilian and lefty Ryan Borucki over Spencer Bivens and Tristan Beck, who both spent much of 2025 with the big-league club.

“The Matos one was hard,” Posey told a group of beat writers, including The California Post, after setting the Giants’ 26-man roster ahead of their season opener Wednesday against the Yankees. “Ultimately, [we] felt like carrying Oliva with what he can do on the basepaths, defensively, is a weapon for us. … With Jerar, the hope is to have some power.”

Matos, a 24-year-old former top prospect, was out of options and designated for assignment. Posey said the Giants are hopeful he clears waivers, but it’s unlikely given his pedigree.

While Encarnacion was also out of options, and Oliva had to be added to the 40-man roster as a non-roster invitee this spring, Posey said the decision had as much to do with a Giants lineup that is expected to have everyday players in at least eight of the nine spots.

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“The discussion we’ve had internally is that we feel fortunate that we have a group of position players that wants to be out there every day,” Posey said. “It’s gonna be our job, Tony’s job, medical’s job, to make sure that we keep them as fresh and out there as much as possible.”

The pair of left-handed outfield options would have provided similar speed and defense as Oliva, but Posey said he wanted both to get everyday at-bats after Gilbert missed a chunk of spring training with a shoulder impingement and Brennan returns from injuries last season.

The battle to back up Patrick Bailey at catcher was one of the closest-fought all spring, with Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac beating out Eric Haase, who was released by San Francisco.

Susac became the first Rule 5 selection to make the Giants’ roster out of spring training since Blake Sabol in 2022, but Posey said he didn’t take Susac’s Rule 5 status into consideration.

“I really wanted to see which player stood out the most, and both played well,” Posey said. “Daniel, I think the most important part, carried himself well defensively and swung the bat well also.”

Posey’s most anticipated decision came last week, when the Giants optioned top prospect Bryce Eldridge to Triple-A. The 21-year-old first baseman responded to the demotion by homering twice in exhibition games the past three days.

Posey believes a conversation with vice president of player development Randy Winn got Eldridge back on track after a poor ending to spring at the plate, though he didn’t commit to a timeline for the top prospect to join the big-league club.

“I think he got a little bit technical and mechanical in spring training,” Posey said. “Randy simply said just make sure you see the ball. That’s the most important thing: to see the ball. Because he’s such a physical force. For a 21-year-old, the skill set is already very, very refined as a hitter. …

“Bryce has a bright future in front of him. I think what he’s got going for him the most is his belief in his own ability but also from what I can tell his understanding of the changes that he needs to make to become the best player.”

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