SF Giants’ Sanmartin to miss WBC due to injury, Peguero reinjures left hamstring

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Injuries continue to throw a wrench into the Giants’ wide-open bullpen competition — and are robbing one player of an opportunity to participate in the World Baseball Classic.

Left-hander Reiver Sanmartin was slated to pitch for Team Colombia in this year’s WBC, but the 29-year-old sustained a right hip flexor injury in Colombia’s exhibition against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday in Florida while fielding a comebacker that will keep him out of the tournament.

Sanmartin was back in the Giants’ clubhouse on Wednesday afternoon and will be evaluated. It’s currently unclear whether the left-hander will be ready for the start of the season.

“I think the WBC is a wash for him,” said manager Tony Vitello. “I haven’t spoken to him directly about that. I’m sure he’s a little disheartened or heartbroken about that piece of it.”

Along with Sanmartin, right-handed reliever Joel Peguero reinjured his left hamstring on Monday and sustained a Grade 2 strain, meaning he likely won’t be ready for Opening Day. Manager Tony Vitello said Peguero looked good in his first bullpen after initially injuring his left hamstring, but the injury cropped back up during his second bullpen.

Left-hander Erik Miller’s status for the Opening Day roster remains in flux, but the 28-year-old appears to be trending in the right direction.

Miler, currently dealing with lower back tightness, is scheduled to throw a side session on Wednesday after being limited to throwing off flat ground. Vitello said it’s possible that Miller could get into a game by the end of next week.

As things stand, the Giants have four relievers in camp — Peguero, Miller, Sanmartin and Sam Hentges — who may not be healthy to begin the season. Right-hander Jason Foley will miss Opening Day as well, but that was always the expectation. The Giants’ bullpen was already projected to be a weakness, and this string of injuries could make selecting eight relievers all the more difficult for San Francisco’s brass.

“For right now, it’s kind of a deal where you’re looking at the entire bullpen as it relates to depth, but also the competition piece is still high there,” Vitello said. “It might provide an opportunity for somebody that wasn’t normally going to get one.”

On the position player side, first baseman Rafael Devers (left hamstring tightness) is considered day-to-day as he continues to progress with baseball activities. Vitello said he currently doesn’t have a target date for Devers to return to the lineup but added “at-bats could come pretty soon.”

Center fielder Harrison Bader (right thumb contusion) completed all baseball activities, including hitting, on Tuesday and is scheduled for all baseball activities on Wednesday. Bader will soon leave camp and join Team Israel for the World Baseball Classic.

Fellow outfielder Drew Gilbert (left shoulder impingement) is scheduled to begin hitting on Wednesday, but is still being withheld from throwing.

Birdsong, Walker throw in sim game

Before Wednesday night’s home game against the Seattle Mariners, right-handers Hayden Birdsong and Ryan Walker threw in a simulated game at Papago Park. According to Vitello, Birdsong and Walker threw at Papago instead of a Cactus League game to keep them on schedule.

Birdsong pitched two innings and tossed 39 pitches while Walker threw 23 pitches in one inning, the goal for both pitchers being to get their pitch counts up. Vitello said Walker was “really good” and that Birdsong’s second inning was better than his first.

“Really good presence, real efficient, good pitch mix,” Vitello said of Birdsong’s second inning. “The first inning wasn’t poor, but if you asked anybody — and there were a lot of people over there watching — you look at those two innings, it wasn’t a different guy but the second inning was definitely exciting.