SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. >> Kyle Harrison and Jerar Encarnacion are still big parts of the Giants’ 2025 plans, but the pair will not be on the roster for Thursday’s season opener in Cincinnati.

Harrison will open the season in the minors and Encarnacion is headed to the Injured List with a broken hand, the team announced Saturday before breaking camp in Arizona.

Encarnacion was positioned to make an Opening Day roster for the first time in his career, no small feat given how his career has unfolded. He played six seasons in the minors before making his major league debut. He ended up in the Mexican League, where he hit 19 homers in 26 games and got the attention of the Giants. He impressed during his little time with the team last season and emerged as a favorite to win a spot on the bench.

But now he’ll miss 4-5 weeks after suffering a hairline fracture in his left ring finger when diving for a ball Friday.“I don’t feel disappointed at all. I think it’s God’s plan that this happened,” Encarnacion said through team interpreter Erwin Higueros. “So, the only thing I can do is just continue. I know that I can do the job when the time comes.”

Danville’s Harrison, who made 24 starts as a rookie last season, figured to be a lock for the rotation to start 2025. But he lost 10-15 pounds due to an illness before camp and never caught up. That leaves Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp, both of whom have had outstanding camps, as the two finalists to round out San Francisco’s rotation.

“When you talk about the competition for the five spot, he was never really in it based on his starting point and where he is right now,” manager Bob Melvin said of Harrison on Saturday. “We just need to get him up to speed and get him more innings and get him stretched out longer in games. It was always more between Roupp and Birdsong. I think Kyle was kind of lumped into that, but kind of unfairly because he was behind in his progression.”

Roupp and Birdsong made their Cactus League debuts on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23, respectively, but Harrison didn’t pitch in his first spring training game until Feb. 28. Birdsong and Roupp have each thrown 12 innings this spring, their longest outings each being five innings. Harrison has pitched only 6 2/3 innings and hasn’t gone more than three innings. Birdsong, Harrison and Roupp will all pitch in the Giants’ exhibition against the Sacramento River Cats today; Roupp will start for the Giants and be followed by Birdsong while Harrison will start for the River Cats.

With camp ending in Arizona, the Giants’ decision to start Harrison in the minors — presumably with Triple-A Sacramento — does not come as much of a surprise. Following Harrison’s last outing, Melvin said it “might be hard” for him to get fully stretched out in time for the season.

“We’ll see where we are with him,” Melvin said. “He’s a little bit behind everybody,” Melvin said after Harrison’s most recent outing last Sunday. “Getting him three innings and it seemed like there was a little bit more life in his arm. Like I said, it was a step in the right direction.”

Tough break

As things stand, it’s looking like Encarnacion’s time will be sometime in May or June, though the team has yet to determine a timetable. Melvin said the Giants will receive an update today. When asked if surgery is a possibility, Melvin responded that “anything’s on the table.

“He was putting himself in a position to get quite a few at-bats. And rightly so,” Melvin said. “Based on what we saw last year, based on what we saw this spring, there’s a lot to like: the power dynamic, he can play the infield a little bit at first, play the outfield, DH. Sometimes, it’s tough for guys to DH and he was good at it. So, this stings some. And I feel bad for him because the road he’s taken to get to the big leagues, this is probably going to be as good of an opportunity as he’s ever had.”

With Encarnacion out for the foreseeable future, the Giants have less than a week to determine who fills out the bench alongside catcher Sam Huff, outfielder Luis Matos and infielder Brett Wisely. The list of candidates for Encarnacion’s spot include infielders David Villar, Casey Schmitt and Jake Lamb, as well as outfielders Grant McCray and Marco Luciano. San Francisco will also have to decide whether to put Encarnacion on the 60-day injured list, which would open up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Villar, 28, is out of minor league options, which means the Giants would have to designate him for assignment if they don’t put him on the 40-man roster. Putting Villar on the Opening Day roster would allow the Giants to keep him in the organization, but the Giants appear to be favoring other options.

Winn, Lucchesi also part of cuts

Along with Harrison, right-hander Keaton Winn was optioned and left-hander Joey Lucchesi, a non-roster invitee, was re-assigned to minor league camp.

With Lucchesi out of the running for the Opening Day roster, the Giants will open the season with Erik Miller as the only left-handed reliever in the bullpen. Newark’s Lucchesi has an out in his contract, but not until July.

Lee resumes baseball activities

Jung Hoo Lee resumed baseball activities after being sidelined for a week with a back injury, a list of tasks that included hitting, throwing to bases and taking fly balls. The expectation is that Lee plays in today’s exhibition against the Sacramento River Cats.

“If everything goes well tomorrow and in the Tigers’ series (Monday and Tuesday at Oracle Park), I think there’s a good chance he could start in Cincinnati,” Melvin said.

Lee, who has a .967 OPS with two homers this spring, said on Friday that he sees Opening Day as “realistic.”