San Francisco Giants DFA Former No. 1 Prospect Luis Matos, Finalize Opening Day Roster

Spring Training is behind us, and we are sent back to reality. A reality in which the Giants decided to DFA former top prospect Luis Matos and risk him being picked up by another big-league ball club.

Outfielders picked above him included Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee, and newcomer Harrison Bader, as well as his Spring Training competitors in Jerar Encarnacion and Jared Oliva. Other big decisions included dropping veterans Eric Haase and Michael Fulmer from the Opening Day roster and sending down top prospect Bryce Eldridge.

Outfielders

One of the main questions Giants fans have been asking themselves is, “Will Luis Matos make the opening day roster?” This question was answered by the team earlier today as they designated Matos for assignment. This will allow other baseball teams to pick him up.

We already knew that Ramos, Bader, and Lee would be in left, center, and right field, respectively, but what we didn’t know was that Encarnacion and Oliva would cook in Spring Training and earn themselves a roster spot. Encarnacion had similar numbers to Matos, but posted a higher batting average as well as slugging. He hit two homers and three doubles.

Oliva is a Slugger

Oliva came into Spring Training as a league journeyman, having been on five teams in the last five years. He took the opportunity in San Francisco to demolish baseballs. He went 15-of-37 in Spring Training with four doubles and a home run. He left the Giants no choice but to see how his talents could help the team. He is also an asset in the field, being one of the fastest players on the roster. His performance this spring made choosing him over Matos very easy.

Infielders

Like the outfield, the Giants’ infield was set since the beginning of the offseason. However, Eldridge was gearing up to play ball for the Giants until he was sent down to AAA earlier this month. Manager Tony Vitello made comments about Eldridge needing more work, but he is excited about his potential, especially at the plate. My guess is he will make an appearance later this year.

The Big Four

Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, and Luis Arraez will be one of the best-hitting infields in Major League Baseball. I expect them to carry this team in every stat category and lead them to a playoff berth in October.

Pitching

The Giants’ pitching in 2026 will make or break this team. Starting with the rotation, Logan Webb is a legit ace and will anchor them. The middle three starters in Robbie Ray, Tyler Mahle, and Adrian Houser are solid veterans who can give you credible outings. Landon Roupp is the fifth starter, and while he is a question mark, he has shown in the past that he can give you solid starts.

The Pen

The Giants’ bullpen of 2025 was the glaring weakness of the team. After losing Closer Camilo Doval before the trade deadline, the pen completely imploded and blew save after save for the rest of the season. With a whole offseason of work, it will be this group’s mission to turn it around and be good down the stretch in games. It will require figuring out a closer early on.

The likely man for the job is Ryan Walker. He had 17 saves in 2025, but his 1.27 WHIP and 4.11 ERA were a little high for a closing role. If he can get those numbers down and stabilize the bullpen, the Giants can be great this year. It will require bounce-back seasons and unproven arms for the rest of the bullpen to be good this year. Managing this group will be the hardest part for Vitello going into 2026.

The Bottom Line

The Giants can be a wildcard team or better in 2026. This will take the bats to continue to play well, the starters need to give quality starts as well as maybe a resurgence of Robbie Ray, and the bullpen needs to be much improved from last year’s group.