Murphy (back) in doubt for Opening Day, creating options behind Bailey

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants¡¯ catching depth took an early hit on Monday, when veteran Tom Murphy was diagnosed with a mid-back disk herniation that is likely to sideline him for Opening Day.

Murphy, who was projected to serve as Patrick Bailey¡¯s backup this year, has been dealing with the back issue since the first week of workouts for pitchers and catchers and underwent an MRI exam last week that initially revealed a mild oblique strain. The Giants hoped Murphy would miss only seven to 10 days, but the 33-year-old struggled to bounce back from the injury and sought a second opinion, which found that the issue was more severe than initially expected.

Murphy received an epidural injection on Monday and will be shut down for the next few weeks before being re-evaluated, which could force him to open the 2025 campaign on the injured list.

"It¡¯s going to be a couple of weeks of inactivity, strengthening, stuff like that,¡± manager Bob Melvin said. ¡°And then there¡¯s a build up after that, so it¡¯s going to take a while. I would say that there¡¯s a definite possibility of an IL to start the season."

It¡¯s another frustrating setback for Murphy, who was also limited to only 13 games in 2024 after suffering a season-ending left knee injury last May.

"It has to be very disappointing for him,¡± Melvin said. ¡°He came here for a reason and wants to contribute. It¡¯s tough to do when you can¡¯t play."

Sam Huff and non-roster invitee Max Stassi are viewed as leading options to serve as the Giants¡¯ No. 2 catcher if Murphy is unavailable for the start of the season.

Huff, 27, is already on the 40-man roster after being claimed off waivers from the Rangers over the offseason and is out of options, which could work to his advantage this spring. A former top Rangers prospect, Huff already flashed his right-handed pop by hammering a 422-foot home run in his Cactus League debut against his former club on Saturday.

Stassi, 33, hasn¡¯t played in the Majors since 2022, but he¡¯s known for his excellent framing and caught his former Astros teammate, Justin Verlander, in his spring debut at Scottsdale Stadium on Monday.

The Giants are also evaluating non-roster invitee Logan Porter and added catching prospect Adri¨¢n Sugastey to big league camp on Monday to help spread out the workload behind the plate early in Cactus League play.

"I know [catching coach Alex Burg] loves the catching group now, and that¡¯s why you create some depth,¡± Melvin said. ¡°We¡¯ll see. It¡¯s not 100 percent that [Murphy] won¡¯t be ready for the season, but we¡¯re certainly looking at some other guys right now. It gives all these guys more reps and more opportunities to get looks."

The Giants got more encouraging news on outfielder Heliot Ramos, who tweaked his right oblique while facing Keaton Winn in live batting practice last week. Ramos said he¡¯s feeling better and is planning to resume hitting in the batting cage on Thursday, which could put him on track to make his Cactus League debut next week.

"I really don¡¯t want to slow play it,¡± Ramos said. ¡°I wanted to play the first day, even away [at Surprise]. I just want to play, man. I just want to be ready. I just want to be healthy."

Left-hander Erik Miller also took a couple of days off throwing after experiencing some inflammation in the top of his left middle finger, but he threw a live BP session on Monday and could progress to pitching in a game on Thursday.