Giants' Pablo Sandoval, Johnny Cueto to make spring debuts this week

GLENDALE, Arizona - February isn't a month in which dramatic walk-offs dominate the highlight reels, but the Giants and White Sox provided some late-intrigue anyway on Tuesday.

With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, White Sox batter Seby Zavala drilled a single up the middle to center fielder Heliot Ramos. The Giants' No. 2 prospect gathered the ball and uncorked a strong throw to the plate, but it reached catcher Tyler Heineman's glove a split second too late.

A nicely executed slide from White Sox outfielder Adam Engel led Chicago to a 4-3 win and dropped the Giants to 2-2 in Cactus League play, but the team has more important things to worry about than plays at the plate at this point in the year.

Manager Gabe Kapler said after the game that infielder Pablo Sandoval will make his spring debut on Friday night at Scottsdale Stadium as a Giants split-squad lineup hosts the Rockies. His first at-bats will come fewer than seven months after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery and while the Giants aren't sure when Sandoval will be ready to appear in the field, he's already playing catch and ahead of schedule in his recovery process.

The switch-hitting Sandoval is healthy enough to hit from both sides of the plate and will play regardless of who starts on the mound for Colorado on Friday. The Giants will send another player authoring a Tommy John comeback story to the mound against the Rockies, as Kapler confirmed Johnny Cueto will start at Scottsdale Stadium.

Veteran Jeff Samardzija is lined up to pitch Wednesday at home against the Brewers while Tyler Beede and Logan Webb will both pitch on Thursday in Peoria against the Mariners.

The Giants will begin cycling through the rotation again on Friday as Dereck Rodríguez and Andrew Suárez will face the Royals in an afternoon split-squad in Surprise.

Kapler said the Giants don't have a target date set for when veteran free-agent signee Hunter Pence will appear in his first game, but indicated the team is looking at finding a place for Pence in a lineup early next week.

Gausman splits White Sox

The player with the richest contract Farhan Zaidi has given to a Giants player made his Cactus League debut on Tuesday at Camelback Ranch.

Starter Kevin Gausman, who signed a one-year, $9 million deal during the winter meetings, worked two strong innings against a White Sox lineup featuring regulars including shortstop Tim Anderson, outfield phenom Eloy Jimenez and first baseman José Abreu. Gausman consistently hit 94 miles per hour with his fastball, touched 96 on the radar gun and mixed in heavy usage of his splitter, which is the right-hander's primary secondary pitch.

“Whether it's 92 some days or 96-97 some days, it just depends, to be honest,” Gausman said. “But more than anything, I feel good, I'll wake up tomorrow and feel good and it's a progression in spring training.”

Despite struggling a bit with his command of his splitter, Gausman got some ugly swings on the pitch, which he threw 41% of the time last season.

Gausman used to throw a slider along with his four-seamer and splitter, but Statcast data indicated he practically abandoned the pitch during a stint in the Cincinnati Reds' bullpen. With guidance from pitching coach Andrew Bailey, Gausman said he's throwing his slider again and believes it can be an effective offering for him this year.

“I threw some really good ones today and that's one thing I've been working on with Bailey and all of those guys,” Gausman said. “I got a groundball out of it today and threw a couple of strikes and so no damage was done.”

Run game

Kapler has spent the first week of Cactus League play preaching the value of being aggressive on the bases during spring training.

The manager has explained that every Giants player, regardless of their overall speed, will be expected to figure out the maximum possible lead they can take off bases and should be looking to take an extra base whenever possible.

After the Giants combined to go 1-for-2 on steal attempts during their first three spring games, right fielder Mike Yastrzemski and second baseman Donovan Solano tested White Sox catcher James McCann in the first two innings on Tuesday. Yastrzemski stole second base without a throw as the pitch popped out of McCann's mitt while Solano was thrown out on a close play at the bag.

Third base coach Ron Wotus had the chance to send speedy designated hitter Jamie Westbrook home in the third inning after Yastrzemski executed a hit-and-run with a single into the right center field gap, but with only one out on the board, he held up Westbrook coming around third base.

The decision paid off, as Westbrook ended up scoring on a Wilmer Flores single that allowed Yastrzemksi to go first to third, too.

In the fourth inning, the Giants' aggressiveness cost them a chance at a run as center fielder Joey Rickard was thrown out by 15 feet trying to go from first to home on a base hit to right field that was initially bobbled by Chicago right fielder Nomar Mazara.

Sánchez plays shortstop

The Giants signed the 2019 American League Gold Glove second baseman to a minor league deal this offseason, but Yolmer Sánchez didn't line up at his normal position on Tuesday.

Against his former team, Sánchez started at shortstop as the Giants want to evaluate whether the switch-hitter can provide depth behind starter Brandon Crawford. Middle infielders Mauricio Dubón and Donovan Solano showed the ability to handle shortstop last season and both will receive playing time at the position this spring, but Sánchez can increase his versatility and value to the Giants if he also proves to be a plus-defender at short.

“I feel comfortable (at shortstop) and I love to play defense, it doesn't matter where,” Sánchez said.

Sánchez has only appeared in 12 career games at shortstop over six major league seasons, but he was a 2.1 WAR player in 2019 and accumulated most of that while playing defense.

“I want to win a National League Gold Glove at second base, but I told the manager whatever he needs me to do, I'll do my best,” Sánchez said.

The Giants figure Sánchez already showed the range needed to play second base at an elite level and the arm strength to amass more than 190 career games at third, so it's worth evaluating what he can do elsewhere in the infield.

During Tuesday's game, Sánchez wasn't tested in major ways, but he made a pair of routine plays with ease and also made an impressive running throw when charging a high-hopper hit by the catcher, McCann.

Sánchez said he passed up a major league contract to sign a minor league deal with the Giants this offseason because he would have a better chance of earning regular playing time at second base.

Let the kids play

When the Giants' 2019 first-round draft choice Hunter Bishop woke up on Tuesday, he thought he'd spend the day practicing at minor league camp and head home after lunch.

A peek at his phone suggested otherwise.

“This morning, I got a text from Jake Gonzalez saying you're in there today,” Bishop said.

The Giants haven't given their prospects much of a heads-up, but they've been rewarding strong practices with opportunities to play in big league games during the first week of the Cactus League schedule.

Bishop was joined by Ramos, the Giants' 2017 first-round draft pick, and one of the organization's top international prospects, Dominican Republic native Alexander Canario, on the van from the Giants' minor league complex to the major league side.

Shortly after the Giants took Ramos with the 19th overall pick in 2017, he said he wanted to be in the big leagues by the 2020 season. After advancing to Double-A last year, his goals haven't changed.

“I know I can be that guy and I know I can work and get there and be like them,” Ramos said, when asked about seeing other young players debut at 20 and 21 years old.

The Giants' top prospects don't lack for confidence at the plate, as all three were swinging freely on Tuesday, but it might take some time before the results come. Bishop and Ramos each went 0-for-2 with a groundout and strikeout while Canario struck out in both of his plate appearances.