Giants close Majors, Minors facilities in Ariz.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants shuttered their Major League and Minor League facilities in Arizona on Thursday, a measure they hope will help keep their players and staff safe in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has put baseball on hold indefinitely.

President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the Giants had been operating both complexes in a limited capacity since Monday, but they strongly encouraged players to head home following the suspension of Spring Training last week. Players who initially stayed behind stopped by Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday to pack up their remaining belongings and receive instructions from the training staff regarding their programs and possible rehab schedules moving forward.

“We just felt for the safety of our players and our staff, it just made sense to close the facility down entirely,” Zaidi said Thursday. “Even on the very limited basis that we were operating on the last few days, we still had anywhere from five to 15 people in the building on the Major League side. It was more than that on the Minor League side. In the current environment, we didn't think it was appropriate for us to continue to facilitate having that many people even in the same building.”

Zaidi said the organization will continue to provide support for Minor League players, who will receive interim compensation in the form of a lump sum equal to the allowances that would have been paid through April 8, in accordance with a league-wide initiative announced by MLB on Thursday. Zaidi said the Giants will take it one step further and provide full allowances for players who were not staying at team hotels to help them cover any outstanding rent or lease payments.

The Giants will also be keeping a close eye on the organization’s 15 to 20 Venezuelan Minor Leaguers, who will not be able to return to their homes due to travel restrictions. Those players will remain in Arizona and have their housing and meals covered by the organization.

Zaidi said no one in the organization has exhibited symptoms that would warrant testing thus far.

“We’re continuing to monitor not just potential symptoms of people that were in camp, but also people that might have come through our camp,” Zaidi said.

Duggar, Anderson optioned
The Giants optioned outfielder Steven Duggar and right-hander Shaun Anderson to Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday. Duggar and Anderson struggled in Cactus League action before Spring Training was halted, and Zaidi said the Giants had determined that they wouldn’t form part of the club’s Opening Day roster.