SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Right-hander Hayden Birdsong is dealing with right elbow soreness and will be further evaluated, manager Tony Vitello told reporters after the Giants’ 3-3 tie to the Chicago White Sox at Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday night.

The severity of Birdsong’s ailment is currently unknown. Vitello said he believes Birdsong didn’t have anything going on with his elbow before his last outing.

Birdsong, 24, threw one scoreless inning and 21 pitches against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday after throwing two innings and 39 pitches in a simulated game at Papago Park on March 4. The ailment didn’t affect his velocity as Birdsong averaged 97.8 mph on his four-seam fastball and peaked at 99.6 mph, the hardest recorded pitch that Birdsong has thrown as a professional.

“Everyone’s gotten close to him because of his likability, coachability and his talent,” Vitello said. “As of right now, it’s out of my hands.”

Birdsong, who still projects as a starter long-term, entered spring training as a strong candidate to make the Opening Day roster as a reliever, but he’s fallen in the race behind the likes of Blade Tidwell, Carson Whisenhunt and Trevor McDonald. Through three appearances this spring, Birdsong has allowed eight runs over 2 1/3 innings.

McDonald, meanwhile, appears to be the favorite out of that group to make the team out of camp. The 25-year-old opened Cactus League play with three straight scoreless outings before allowing his first two runs of the spring by way of two solo homers on Thursday. Over 10 innings, McDonald has 1.80 ERA with 11 strikeouts to two walks.

“I’m happy with it,” McDonald said of his spring. “Obviously, you don’t want to go out and give up any runs, but it’s unrealistic to not; it’s going to happen. Just try to keep going out there, pounding the zone, competing, giving us a chance every time I go out there.”

The Giants have already had multiple relievers sustain injuries that will prevent them from being ready for the start of the season. Right-hander Joel Peguero re-injured his left hamstring and sustained a Grade 2 strain, while left-hander Reiver Sanmartin suffered a right hip flexor strain and will miss up to three months.

Along with Peguero and Sanmartin, left-hander Sam Hentges likely won’t be ready for Opening Day as he continues working his way back from the left shoulder capsule surgery he underwent in September 2024.

One reliever trending in the right direction is left-hander Erik Miller, who is set to appear in his first Cactus League game of the spring on Friday after dealing with lower back tightness. Opening Day is fewer than two weeks away, but Miller believes he will be built up for Opening Night against the New York Yankees on March 25.

Earlier this week, the Giants brought in additional pitching depth by reuniting with left-handed reliever Joey Lucchesi on a minor league deal. Lucchesi, 32, has yet to appear in Cactus League play but said he’s built up to 45 pitches and should be ready for the start of the season.

Giants announce first round of cuts

The Giants announced their first round of cuts on Thursday evening, reassigning outfielder Bo Davidson, catcher Diego Cartaya and right-handed relievers Will Bednar and Trent Harris to minor league camp.

Davidson, 23, is the Giants’ No. 3 prospect per Baseball America and should start the season with Double-A Richmond but could earn his cup of coffee by the end of the regular season if he excels with Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento. Last season, Davidson totaled 18 homers and 19 steals with an .844 OPS over 114 games between High-A Eugene and Richmond.

“He’s a player that’s had to fight for everything that he’s gotten,” said vice president of player development Randy Winn of Davidson, who went undrafted after playing at two JUCOs. “As an undrafted player without a whole lot of hype, he’s just went out and produced and played.”

“Every level he’s been challenged at, he’s been a plus offensive player and did it the right way,” said senior director of player development Kyle Haines. “It’s not a mistake. He’s not chasing. He’s not swinging and missing. The under-the-hood metrics are going to say that this guy will hit in the big leagues if he continues with the approach that he’s had.”

Bednar and Harris should start the season with Triple-A Sacramento but could make their major league debuts this season. Bednar, in particular, had some of the best stuff of any reliever in camp and retooled his slider during spring training to better play off his four-seam fastball.

The 25-year-old Bednar, a former first-round pick, struck out more than a third of the batters he faced in the minors last season but also had a poor walk rate of 15.8 percent. While Bednar posted a 5.68 ERA over 52 1/3 innings in the minors last season, his 3.18 FIP (fielding independent pitching) is an encouraging sign.

If Bednar can consistently minimize the walks, there should be a spot for him on the major league team given the bullpen’s current lack of strikeout stuff.

While Bednar won’t leave spring training with a spot on the Opening Day roster, he will leave camp with a memory that will last a lifetime. During the Giants’ exhibition against Team USA ahead of the World Baseball Classic, Bednar and his older brother, David, each threw scoreless innings with their family in attendance. For David, a two-time All-Star, it was his first time watching Will pitch in a game as a professional.

“I use the word surreal all the time, but that’s exactly what it is,” said father Andy Bednar. “To have both guys pitching in the same game, you couldn’t have scheduled this any better. We knew this potentially could happened, so we scheduled months ago to come out here for this week. But this worked out incredibly.”