"Giants manager Bruce Bochy firmly stated that he is counting on Barry Zito to be his No. 4 starter this season, and he summoned the left-hander into his office Wednesday afternoon to dispel a story that the high-salaried pitcher was on thin ice with club officials.

A column in Wednesday's San Francisco Chronicle quoted an unidentified "source close to the team" as saying the club is "exasperated" with Zito and that his job in the rotation is "definitely not safe."

General manager Brian Sabean rejected the supposition that the team leaked the story to light a fire under Zito, who walked five of the 13 batters he faced in a rough exhibition debut Monday.

"Absolutely, unequivocally not," Sabean said. "We have too much respect for players, and more so, I have a great relationship with Barry Zito. If things had gotten to that point, I would have talked to him directly, firsthand."

Bochy said: "Believe me, there's been no conversation about anywhere near what the article was about. That goes for Brian Sabean, myself, the staff, everybody. I told Barry that. He's going to be our fourth starter, and we're getting him ready for that.

"You do stay open-minded, whether it's infield, outfield, starting or bullpen. But right now, we've come up with a game plan, and that's Barry going the fourth game."

According to the report, the Giants were considering all options to rid themselves of Zito, including eating the remainder of his contract before opening day if necessary. Zito is owed $57.5 million through 2013, and he has a $7 million buyout on a vesting club option for $18 million for 2014.

Even if the Giants wanted to move Zito, they are thin on rotation insurance. Nonroster right-hander Jeff Suppan is in camp; well-traveled left-hander Matt Yourkin and Double-A left-hander Clayton Tanner would be their other top options.

Zito is 40-57 in four seasons as a Giant, but Sabean pointed out that the left-hander ranks seventh among major league pitchers with 131 starts over that span."