One leading candidate for SF Giants bullpen ruled out for Opening Day

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — And then there were two.

Consider 23-year-old Juan Sánchez and Amir Garrett, a seven-year veteran, the finalists for one of the last remaining spots in the Giants’ bullpen. The two non-roster pitchers are the last lefties left standing in the competition to join Taylor Rogers in the Opening Day relief corps.

One of their primary competitors, Ethan Small, won’t pitch again this spring.

An MRI revealed that Small, 27, suffered a moderate strain in his right oblique, the team announced Friday. He will be shut down for the next two to three weeks and will be examined by Dr. Ken Akizuki, the team’s head physician, on Saturday.

“Nothing’s a given, but it’s a big blow for him and certainly our depth,” manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s gonna a while, unfortunately.”

Small was the only left-handed reliever remaining in camp who was already on the 40-man roster. Acquired from the Brewers for cash considerations a week before pitchers and catchers reported, Small had gotten off to a strong start, touching 95 mph and striking out six batters over his first two appearances while allowing one run.

In his last outing, Small was the biggest victim in Wednesday’s 19-11 slugfest loss to the Reds, surrendering a pair of home runs and six runs in total.

“He said later on that maybe he was a little sore,” Melvin said. “We didn’t hear that before. But it certainly popped up last time out.”

The other southpaw already on the 40-man, Erik Miller, was optioned to the minors earlier this week.

However, Melvin said, that didn’t rule him out from making the major-league roster.

Garrett, 31, has a 14.73 ERA in four appearances this spring, allowing a run on a walk and two hits preceding Small in his last outing.

In the same game, Sánchez pitched a scoreless ninth inning, lowering his ERA to 1.50 in six Cactus League appearances, with eight strikeouts to no walks.

Notable

— RHP Keaton Winn (elbow) is “good, cleared, ready to pitch,” Melvin said. The 25-year-old rotation candidate will make his first start of the spring Sunday against the Rockies. Winn threw about 25 pitches Wednesday at the minor-league complex, his first game action since being shut down with elbow soreness. … RHP Alex Cobb (hip) will also get into his first game this weekend. Well ahead of schedule in his recovery from hip surgery at the end of October, Cobb is scheduled to throw two innings in a minor-league game Saturday.

— Elsewhere on the injury report, Jung Hoo Lee‘s name appeared for the first time. The center fielder is dealing with tightness in his left hamstring and will be limited for the next two to three days, the club said. … Catcher Patrick Bailey (hand) will resume light baseball activities in the next day or two, and RHP Sean Hjelle (elbow) began his throwing progression Friday after being temporarily shut down as a precaution.