Healthy Flores gives Giants another impact bat

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants made only one addition to their lineup this offseason, signing power-hitting shortstop Willy Adames, but they believe the return of a healthy Wilmer Flores could be the equivalent of adding another impact bat.

Flores was the Giants¡¯ best hitter in 2023, when he batted a career-high .284 with an .863 OPS and a team-high 23 home runs, but his production took a significant dip last year as he battled a nagging right knee injury that eventually led to a season-ending Tenex procedure in August. He finished the 2024 campaign hitting only .206 with a .595 OPS and four home runs over 71 games, all of which were his lowest full-season marks of his 12-year career.

¡°It was tough,¡± Flores said. ¡°I mean, the way I¡¯ve been taught to play this game is to find a way to play, even if you don¡¯t feel 100 percent. I think I took it too far, trying to play, but it wasn¡¯t an excuse. I think I was able to hit, I just couldn¡¯t. I¡¯m 100 percent now, and we¡¯ll see how things go.¡±

Flores, 33, spent the first four months of the offseason rehabbing, but he resumed his normal workouts in December and is now hitting, running and taking grounders without limitations. After exercising his $3.5 million player option for 2025, Flores is eager to turn the page on his disappointing season and prove that he can still be a key contributor in his sixth year with the Giants.

¡°I didn¡¯t want to stop playing,¡± Flores said. ¡°I wanted to keep playing. This year I want to show that I still got it. It was good that I had that option. I don¡¯t want to leave San Francisco. I wanted to stay here, so it was good that I had the option.¡±

• Giants Spring Training

The right-handed-hitting Flores is expected to serve as LaMonte Wade Jr.¡¯s platoon partner at first base, though he also figures to be a key bat off the bench and could also see time at designated hitter if he performs to his usual standards. His surgically repaired knee is feeling good so far, though he said he made one tweak to try to avoid more setbacks in the future.

¡°I had to make a small adjustment,¡± Flores said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get into my right leg as much. It¡¯s not going to change my swing, but when I do batting practice and I take a lot of swings, I don¡¯t want to get in my right leg too much.¡±

Winn update
Another bounceback candidate for the Giants will be right-hander Keaton Winn, who also ended last season on the injured list after undergoing ulnar nerve transposition surgery in his throwing elbow in July.

Winn, 26, earned a spot in the Giants¡¯ Opening Day rotation last year and recorded a 3.18 ERA over six starts in April, but he hit a wall after he began to experience stabbing pain in his right elbow. Winn tried to pitch through the discomfort, but it was clear he was compromised on the mound, as he logged a 13.50 ERA over his next six appearances before being shut down.

¡°I try not to dwell on it a whole bunch because it brings me down a lot, but I had a big opportunity and my arm kind of messed everything up,¡± Winn said Saturday. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m looking forward to the future and doing what I can to help the team.¡±

Like Flores, Winn spent the first half of the offseason rehabbing and then began throwing off the mound in December. He¡¯s back to full strength now and reached 95 mph in his latest bullpen session, which should give him a chance to compete with Kyle Harrison, Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp for the fifth spot in the Giants¡¯ rotation this spring.

¡°I feel a lot better than I have in the last couple of years,¡± Winn said. ¡°I actually feel like a normal boy.¡±