SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Left-hander Joey Lucchesi pitched fine enough in his first full season as a reliever. After joining the Giants on a minor league deal, he posted a 3.76 ERA and 3.53 expected ERA over 38 1/3 innings. In July, he didn’t give up a run.

Lucchesi, then, was one of many who were surprised when San Francisco non-tendered him last November instead of paying him the roughly $2 million he projected to make in arbitration. Still, the Giants’ decision didn’t prevent him from returning to the team.

The 32-year-old Lucchesi spent the last several months in free agency limbo, but he reunited with the Giants on a minor league deal this week and went straight to spring training. He will make $1.55 million with an opportunity to make an extra $300,000 in incentives.

“I felt like I did my job, respectfully,” Lucchesi said on Wednesday morning. “I was healthy as well — I’m healthy now. They had other visions, I guess. I don’t know. I really can’t speak for them, but in my own heart and mind, I felt like I deserved that major league contract. But, you know, it is what it is. I’m going to work hard to show them that they need me.”

The Giants’ reunion with Lucchesi follows a pair of recent injuries that have impacted San Francisco’s bullpen depth.

Left-hander Reiver Sanmartin sustained a right hip flexor strain during Colombia’s exhibition ahead of the World Baseball Classic that will keep him out up to three months, while right-hander Joel Peguero reinjured his left hamstring and sustained a Grade 2 strain.

Along with Sanmartin and Peguero, left-hander Sam Hentges is also extremely unlikely to be ready for Opening Day as he continues building back up from the left shoulder surgery he underwent in September 2024.

Lucchesi stayed ready by working out in Florida with fellow unsigned major leaguers including former Giant Donovan Solano and Tommy Pham. The lefty also worked out with future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, former Giant Zack Littell and one-time All-Star Lucas Giolito.

Lucchesi has yet to appear in a Cactus League game, but the Newark native believes he will be ready for Opening Day. He’s thrown about 13 bullpens (and several live bullpens) since mid-December and is currently built up to throw around 45 pitches.

Manager Tony Vitello said it’s “a bit of a stretch” for him to pitch in a game this week, but Lucchesi should make his Cactus League debut next week.

“I think he’s been a name that’s floated around all along,” Vitello said. “It’s just you’ve got logistics that need to be worked out. Fortunately, everything pieced together to where he’s here now with us. It sounds like he’s done a really good job of putting himself in a position to take the ball and get going right away.”

Another left-handed reliever who will soon make his Cactus League debut is Erik Miller, who is slated to pitch on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds.

Miller has been kept out of games due to lower back tightness, but he’s trending in the right direction after throwing a live bullpen on Tuesday. Miller, also a lefty, won’t have many opportunities to pitch in live games before the start of the season, but he believes he should be ready for the start of the season.

The 28-year-old made his last appearance for the Giants on July 2 before sustaining a left elbow sprain that sidelined him for the entire year. He began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento in August but experienced a setback that prevented him from returning before the end of the season.

With All-Star Randy Rodríguez out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Giants don’t have many proven high-leverage relievers aside from Ryan Walker. Given San Francisco’s fluid bullpen situation, Miller could emerge as someone who consistently tackles late-game situations.

“I think he could do a variety of things, whether it’s just attacking left-handed hitters or a pocket of guys you think he’s a good matchup for — it’s not like he hasn’t had success against hitters from both sides of the plate,” Vitello said. “When you get into the eighth or ninth inning and you’re looking for somebody to finish the game, experience has a lot to do with it.”

Worth noting

Right-hander Gregory Santos, a non-roster invitee, hasn’t pitched since Feb. 27 due to a personal matter, but should soon throw a live bullpen. Santos, a non-roster invitee, is fighting for a spot on the Opening Day roster, and Vitello believes he should be ready for the start of the season.