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Giants Notes: Coaches, Eldridge, Smith, Bochy

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3:20PM: The Giants won’t be interviewing any members of the current coaching staff for the managerial opening, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reports.  The club isn’t renewing any of the coaches’ contracts for 2026, which is standard practice in the event of a managerial change.  While the next skipper will naturally have input in the make-up of next year’s staff, Slusser views pitching coach J.P. Martinez, bullpen coach Garvin Alston, and first base coach Mark Hallberg as the likeliest candidates to return.

2:03PM: The Giants announced Wednesday that top prospect Bryce Eldridge will undergo surgery tomorrow to remove a bone spur from his left wrist. The procedure comes with an eight-week recovery timetable, which should afford Eldridge ample time to be ready for spring training.

San Francisco’s first-round pick in 2023, Eldridge made his big league debut late in the season at just 20 years of age. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey had suggested earlier in September that Eldridge wasn’t likely to get the call in 2025, but with the Giants pushing back into playoff contention late in the year, they brought their most promising hitter to the majors in hopes of a late spark.

Perhaps predictably, given his youth and lack of upper-minors experience, Eldridge struggled and often looked overmatched. He appeared in 10 games, took 37 plate appearances and turned in just a .107/.297/.179 batting line with 13 strikeouts (35.1%). None of that diminishes Eldridge’s long-term outlook. He skyrocketed through the minors and logged a .260/.333/.510 batting line with 25 homers in just 433 plate appearances across three levels this year.

Eldridge is still regarded as one of the sport’s 20 best prospects at both Baseball America and MLB.com. News of surgery on the promising young slugger’s wrist might create some concern about his short-term production early in 2026, but the long-term expectation remains that Eldridge and June trade acquisition Rafael Devers will share first base and designated hitter in the long term.

In 2025, first base duties fell primarily to the trio of LaMonte Wade Jr. (designated for assignment in June), Devers and veteran Dominic Smith, who signed a big league deal at the same time Wade was jettisoned from the roster. Smith handled himself well in San Francisco, batting .284/.333/.417 with five homers and a dozen doubles in 225 trips to the plate. The presence of both Eldridge and Devers on the roster doesn’t seem to dovetail with a reunion between the Giants and Smith, who’s a free agent this winter, but general manager Zack Minasian suggested otherwise today.

Speaking with reporters in an end-of-season press conference, Minasian said the Giants “won’t close the door” on bringing the 30-year-old back for the 2026 season (link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). Smith does have a bit of outfield experience dating back to his days with the Mets, but the results weren’t pretty. He’s logged 1330 innings in left field in his career but graded out poorly via both Defensive Runs Saved (-11) and Statcast’s Outs Above Average (-19). If the Giants are comfortable with him being a bench bat and a safety net at first base/DH in the event that Eldridge doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, there could still be a fit. However, Smith’s solid showing at the plate figures to earn him some other opportunities around the league.

Of course, the more pressing question of a potential reunion on the minds of most Giants fans concerns longtime skipper Bruce Bochy, who’s spent the past three seasons managing the Rangers. Bochy and the Rangers announced a mutual parting of ways at season’s end, and San Francisco has a managerial vacancy after dismissing Bob Melvin. Bochy was president of baseball operations Buster Posey’s manager early in his career with the Giants. The pair won three World Series together during the Giants’ even-year dynasty when they won the Fall Classic in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Asked about the possibility of Bochy returning to manage the Giants today, however, Posey suggested it’s not likely (video link via NBC Sports Bay Area):

“I talked to Boch a couple of days ago and told him that where we are currently — and I don’t even know what Boch’s plans are, if he wants to continue to manage or not — that the door is always open here for some sort of role. But the way I think things are coming into picture in my mind, with where we want to go next, I don’t see us going that route with Boch.”

Posey did acknowledge that he’s had some (presumably preliminary) conversations with managerial candidates, but there’s no indication that formal interviews have commenced, nor is there a clear timetable for when the Giants might resolve their search.

Giants Fire Bob Melvin

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1:40pm: Bench coach Ryan Christenson and third base coach Matt Williams tell Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that they will not be returning to the team in 2026, either. Both were with the Giants in those roles from 2024-25.

11:35am: The Giants announced Monday that they’ve fired manager Bob Melvin. They’ll spend the early portion of the offseason looking for a new skipper.

“After meeting with ownership, I met with Bob today to inform him of my decision,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a press release. “On behalf of the organization, I want to express my appreciation to Bob and for his dedication, professionalism, and class. I wish him all the best.

After a careful evaluation, we determined that making a change in leadership was in the best interest of the team. The last couple of months have been both disappointing and frustrating for all of us, and we did not perform up to our standards. We now turn our focus to identifying a new leader to guide us forward.”

As recently as July 1, things looked quite different. The Giants announced at the time that they were exercising their 2026 club option on Melvin, who’d spent the first three months of the season with no guarantees beyond the current campaign. At the time, Melvin’s Giants were 45-40, firmly in the mix a National League Wild Card berth. They played at a disappointing 36-41 pace down the stretch, finishing the year with a .500 record that landed them 12 games behind the NL West-champion Dodgers and two games behind the Reds for the final postseason spot. Despite Melvin being under contract on a guaranteed salary, the Giants will cut ties and look for a new dugout boss.

Melvin is one of the most decorated managers in the game today — and in MLB history. He’s currently 20th all-time in managerial wins. A three-time Manager of the Year who’s won that honor in both the American League and National League, the 63-year-old Melvin has 22 years of managerial experience and a winning 1678-1588 record. That includes an 853-764 record in 11 seasons as manager in Oakland, despite perennially operating clubs that had one of the game’s lowest payrolls (if not the lowest in a given season). He was 161-163 in his two seasons at the helm on the other side of the Bay.

As the Giants slipped down the stretch, Melvin’s job status became a source of increased speculation. Just yesterday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale suggested that, in the wake of a playoff miss, Posey might look to move on from Melvin and try to bring his own former manager, Bruce Bochy, back to San Francisco. Bochy’s contract in Texas is up and, as with Melvin, there’s been plenty of speculation regarding his future following a second straight disappointing season in Arlington.

Anyone with a résumé as prolific as that of Melvin will figure to get looks at other managerial vacancies as they arise around the sport. The Orioles, Nationals and Rockies already have interim managers after midseason dismissals of Brandon Hyde, Davey Martinez and Bud Black. Braves manager Brian Snitker has said he’s yet to decide whether he’ll retire or continue managing. Bochy’s contract in Texas is up. A handful of other managerial vacancies could very well emerge, too, and there are surely no shortage of clubs who’d be interested in bringing someone with Melvin’s acumen board in an advisory capacity, if he doesn’t want to jump right back into the rigors of helming a club for 162 games.

As for the Giants, Melvin’s ouster all but guarantees substantial turnover on the coaching staff. It’s commonplace when a manager is let go for his coaching staff to be given the green light to explore opportunities with other clubs. Incoming managers typically want to have say in the coaching staff at their disposal, after all. Melvin’s dismissal should be the first of several shakeups to the dugout staff at Oracle Park.

Bob Melvin Uncertain About Future As Giants’ Manager

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After the Giants posted an 80-82 record in Bob Melvin’s first season as manager, the club improved by just a single game in 2025.  The 81-win campaign means that the Giants have still had just one winning season in the last nine years, and since their 107-win outburst in 2021, San Francisco has an almost exactly middling 321-327 record.

More was expected heading into 2025 and even during the season, especially after the club was firmly in NL West contention by mid-June.  With just a .500 record as the final result, however, Melvin admitted to reporters (including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shayna Rubin) that he hadn’t been told that he’ll be returning as manager in 2026.

“It is what it is.  We’ll see what the next day brings,” Melvin said, noting that he believe he’ll be meeting with “somebody” in the front office on Monday.

The lack of clarity about Melvin’s status is perhaps a red flag, and as Rubin writes, “the shift in Melvin’s tone is stark compared to earlier this year.”  Back on July 1, in fact, the Giants seemed to be getting an early jump on any lame-duck speculation by exercising their 2026 club option on Melvin’s contract.  The team was actually in a bit of a slump on July 1, but rebounded to take a 51-42 record into action on July 9.  An ugly 13-0 loss to the Phillies that day was a bad omen, as it started a 3-13 stretch for the Giants through the end of July.

More streaky play followed, as the Giants followed up a 2-11 stretch in August by suddenly going 13-3 in their following 16 games.  This briefly brought San Francisco back into the wild card hunt before another 2-9 stretch sunk the team in September.  Both the lineup and the pitching staff seemed to take turns being inconsistent, though the offense in particular was a letdown given the premium talent (i.e. Rafael Devers, Willy Adames) acquired within the last year.

How much of this is Melvin’s fault, naturally, is a matter of debate.  Questions can certainly be asked about the roster Melvin was given by president of baseball operations Buster Posey, who has now completed his first year in charge of the Giants front office.  But, Posey obviously isn’t going anywhere so early in his tenure, and despite his commitment to Melvin in July, the PBO could be looking to make his own hire in the dugout.  Melvin was hired by former baseball ops head Farhan Zaidi, who had a longstanding past history dating back to their days with the Athletics when Melvin was the manager and Zaidi was an assistant GM.

Melvin turns 64 at the end of October, and he has now managed for parts of 22 Major League seasons over tenures with the Mariners, Diamondbacks, A’s, Padres, and Giants.  Melvin has a 1678-1588 record and three Manager of the Year awards over his outstanding career as a skipper, and chances are he would draw immediate attention on the job market if the Giants did choose to fire him in the coming days.

Posey: Giants “Definitely” Interested In Re-Signing Verlander

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Justin Verlander will turn 43 in the offseason, but he’s been vocal at multiple points — both this year and in the past — about wanting to continue pitching into his mid-40s. He said as much in early August, and Verlander doubled down on that desire this week in an interview with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Manager Bob Melvin and young outfielder Drew Gilbert both lauded Verlander and what he brings to the team when chatting with Nightengale, and the sentiment runs further up the chain. President of baseball operations Buster Posey told Markus Boucher and Todd Husak of KNBR just yesterday that he’d like to being Verlander back for another season (audio link).

“Yeah, definitely,” Posey said when asked whether his team would have interest in a reunion. “It’s something we’ll have to discuss, but [we do] for a multitude of reasons. He’s been a great teammate. He’s helped some of our younger guys learn how to prepare, and he just sets an example by going out and performing, continuing to show up. So yeah, it’s definitely something we’d be open to.”

Verlander’s season got out to a bit of a rocky start, but he’s dialed the clock back and looked almost ageless over the past couple months. His season-long 3.75 ERA in 141 2/3 innings pitched is impressive for anyone, let alone a 42-year-old, but his recent work looks straight out of 2009-14.

Dating back to July 23, Verlander touts a sparkling 2.17 ERA in 62 1/3 innings. He’s whiffed 23.2% of his opponents along the way and limited walks at an 8.1% clip. Even more incredibly, he’s allowed just three total runs over his past five starts — a span of 31 innings. Verlander has held his opponent scoreless in four of his past seven trips to the mound, averaging better than six innings per start along the way. The 24-year-old Gilbert, speaking with Nightengale, called Verlander’s current run “inhuman” and discussed how surreal it is to be sharing a clubhouse with “one of the greatest pitchers of all-time” and someone he’s been watching for essentially his whole life. Melvin marveled in similar fashion.

“I get to talk about about (Verlander) and a milestone and him passing somebody – Gaylord Perry, Walter Johnson – almost every start now,” the veteran skipper said. “…To be pitching this well late in the season, with this much under his belt at this point, it’s pretty remarkable.”

While Verlander’s performance in 2025 — particularly down the stretch — should lead to substantial offseason interest both from the Giants and pitching-needy clubs around the league, it’s still difficult to imagine anyone guaranteeing him multiple years. That said, he’ll be coming off a far better season this winter than he was last offseason. Verlander’s final year in Houston saw him make 17 starts with a 5.48 ERA in 90 1/3 innings. This year’s rebound should allow him to secure a comparable, if not larger salary than the $15MM guarantee he received with the Giants for the 2025 campaign.

Verlander has already received a qualifying offer in the past, so the Giants won’t have the option to make him one following the season. Given the right-hander’s age and his outside shot at reaching 300 wins in his career — he’s currently 35 victories short but has previously expressed interest in pitching until he’s 45 — it’s fair to presume that Verlander will limit himself to contending, win-now clubs. It also stands to reason that there’ll be more competition for his services this offseason than there was last time around. The Giants clearly have interest, but they’ll be far from his only suitor.

Braves Claim Brett Wisely

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The Braves announced Thursday that they’ve claimed infielder Brett Wisely off waivers from the Giants and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett. Lefty Aaron Bummer was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL in order to create space on the 40-man roster. San Francisco designated Wisely for assignment earlier in the week.

Wisely, 26, was a 15th-round pick by the Rays back in 2019. He landed with the Giants in a 2022 swap that sent outfield prospect Tristan Peters back to Tampa Bay. Neither player has made a huge impact with the team to which he was traded, but Wisely has spent far more time in the majors than the 25-year-old Peters, who made his MLB debut last month and went hitless in four games before being optioned back to Triple-A.

Wisely has logged major league time in each of the past three seasons, appearing in 164 games for the Giants. He’s tallied 457 plate appearances and posted a tepid .217/.263/.324 slash with seven homers, 22 doubles, a triple, five steals, a 25.2% strikeout rate and a 5.7% walk rate.

It’s clearly not an impressive batting line — wRC+ measures him 36% worse than a league-average offensive performer — but Wisely has provided the Giants with both versatile and skilled defensive play. He’s spent the bulk of his time at second base (682 innings) but also has ample experience at shortstop (269 innings) with cameos at third base and in center field. He’s graded out positively at every position he’s played in the eyes of both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average. And while Wisely isn’t a prolific thief on the basepaths, he does possess slightly above-average speed, sitting in the 55th percentile of big leaguers, per Statcast (and the 62nd percentile last year).

This is the last of three minor league option years for Wisely. He’s controllable all the way through 2030 but will have to stick on an Opening Day roster next season or else be designated for assignment and exposed to waivers prior to being sent to the minors. He’s far from a lock to last all the way into next year’s spring training on the 40-man roster with Atlanta, but if he does stick around that long, he’ll vie for a bench spot in what’s currently a wide-open competition.

The Braves claimed Ha-Seong Kim off waivers at the end of August, taking on the veteran shortstop’s $16MM player option in doing so. If Kim picks up that option, he’ll be the everyday shortstop in 2026. If not, Atlanta will enter the offseason with Nick Allen — a defensive standout but one of MLB’s lightest hitters — atop the depth chart at short. Atlanta would almost certainly be in the market for an upgrade, potentially pushing Allen into a bench role. Other candidates for reserve spots with the Braves would include Nacho Alvarez Jr. and former top prospect Vidal Brujan. Both Allen and Brujan are out of minor league options as well.

Suffice it to say, there’ll likely be a fair bit of turnover among that group, but for the time being, Wisely provides some depth at multiple positions and a versatile defender with slightly more bat than either Allen or Brujan can offer. In parts of four Triple-A seasons, Wisely is a .274/.371/.433 hitter.

MLBTR Podcast: The Struggling Mets, Bryce Eldridge, And Trey Yesavage

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Will the Astros trade Christian Walker in the offseason and move Isaac Paredes over to first base? (38:45)
  • Will the Braves make any shocking trades of their core this offseason? (47:40)
  • Will the Red Sox nab a postseason spot and can they make a deep postseason run? (55:00)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images

Giants Notes: Roupp, McDonald, Crawford

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Last month, Giants starter Landen Roupp suffered what appeared to be a season-ending bone bruise in his left knee. San Francisco never officially moved the right-hander to the 60-day injured list. They now find themselves in a playoff race thanks to the Mets’ recent eight-game losing streak, which leaves the door ajar for Roupp to make it back this year.

Roupp has thrown a couple bullpen sessions in recent days. Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle noted over the weekend that there’s a possibility for the second-year pitcher to come back in October if the Giants snag a playoff berth. That’d probably be in relief, as he hasn’t thrown in a game setting since August 20.

The Giants lost Carson Whisenhunt to a back strain a week after Roupp’s injury. That has left them without great options for the final two rotation spots behind Logan Webb, Justin Verlander and Robbie Ray. Righty Kai-Wei Teng hasn’t worked deep into games and carries a 6.41 ERA across seven appearances.

They’re operating without a fifth starter, which resulted in Tristan Beck kicking off a bullpen game tonight for a big matchup in Arizona. The Giants dropped half a game behind the Diamondbacks with last night’s loss in the series opener. They’re 2.5 games back of the Mets, who beat the Padres earlier this evening, pending the result of tonight’s game.

San Francisco made a move before tonight’s game, recalling righty Trevor McDonald from Triple-A Sacramento. Keaton Winn, who pitched two innings in relief of Teng yesterday, was optioned out. The 24-year-old McDonald gave up two runs in as many innings in his first MLB appearance of the season.

McDonald has occupied a spot on San Francisco’s 40-man roster since the 2023-24 offseason. The former 11th round pick had one day of major league service before tonight. The Giants called him up for the final game of the ’24 season, in which he tossed three scoreless innings. He had spent all of this season working from the rotation in Sacramento. McDonald had a decent 23% strikeout rate and got ground-balls at a 53% clip, but he struggled to a 5.31 ERA across 142 1/3 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

There’s a less fortunate update on another of the organization’s pitching prospects. Former first-round pick Reggie Crawford underwent another shoulder surgery and will be out into the middle of next season, reports Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Crawford underwent his first labrum repair last September. The UCONN product was already out for the season but had recently begun throwing bullpen sessions.

Crawford, the #30 overall pick in 2022, has thrown 37 1/3 career innings in the minor leagues. He will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason if the Giants don’t add him to the 40-man roster. Another team could theoretically eye him as a Rule 5 target whom they could stash on the MLB injured list until he completes his rehab. That makes the 40-man decision an interesting one for San Francisco’s front office. Crawford has shown a triple-digit fastball and a plus or better breaking ball at his best, but he has very little pitching experience. He was primarily a first baseman in college and only threw eight innings for the Huskies. He underwent Tommy John surgery as a junior in addition to his pair of shoulder procedures.

Giants Designate Brett Wisely For Assignment

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The Giants officially announced the previously reported promotion of top first base prospect Bryce Eldridge. San Francisco optioned outfielder Luis Matos to clear a spot on the big league roster. They designated utility infielder Brett Wisely for assignment to open the necessary 40-man roster spot.

Eldridge, who is still a month away from his 21st birthday, steps right into the fire in a pennant race. He’s batting fifth and serving as the designated hitter against Zac Gallen (relayed by Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News). The Giants are keeping Rafael Devers at first base tonight. San Francisco is half a game ahead of the Diamondbacks and trails the Mets by a game and a half for the National League’s last Wild Card spot.

Wisely has been on San Francisco’s 40-man roster for the past three seasons. Farhan Zaidi was running baseball operations when the Giants acquired him from the Rays early in the 2022-23 offseason. Wisely would have qualified for the Rule 5 draft, but San Francisco selected his contract to ensure they retained his rights. The former 15th-round pick has been up and down between Oracle Park and Triple-A for the last three seasons.

The lefty-hitting Wisely hasn’t produced much against big league pitching. He owns a .217/.263/.324 line with seven home runs across 457 plate appearances. He hit very well in Triple-A between 2023-24, but his minor league numbers this year have also been underwhelming. Wisely carries a .253/.332/.387 line with seven longballs and 12 steals in 80 games at Triple-A Sacramento this season. He has only appeared in 22 MLB contests as a result, hitting .208 with one homer in 54 trips to the plate.

While this hasn’t been a good season, Wisely has some positive attributes that could get interest on the waiver wire. He grades as a solid defender at second base and has experience at every position aside from catcher. He’s never going to hit for much power, but he has shown solid on-base skills in the minors. He owns a .274/.371/.433 line in nearly 200 career Triple-A games across four seasons.

San Francisco will place Wisely on outright waivers within the next few days. He’s in his last minor league option year. Another team may put in a claim and stash him in Triple-A for the rest of the season. He’ll be out of options next year. If he sticks on a 40-man roster into Spring Training, he’d need to break camp and remain in the majors or again be designated for assignment.

Giants To Promote Bryce Eldridge

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The Giants are calling up top prospect Bryce Eldridge, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The club will need to make corresponding moves to get him onto the active and 40-man rosters.

Just over two weeks ago, it was reported that the Giants were unlikely to call up Eldridge this year, but a few things have changed since then. In late August, it seemed like the Giants were playing out the string on a lost season. They had sold at the deadline and were about seven games back of a playoff spot as August was winding down.

Eldridge was putting up good-not-great numbers in Triple-A. They could have called him up for a few big league at-bats, but he hasn’t even turned 21 years old yet and wasn’t really forcing the issue. If they had added him, they would have had to keep him on the roster through the winter. Keeping him in Triple-A would have afforded the club an extra roster spot through the offseason, since he wasn’t going to be Rule 5 eligible until December 2027.

But as mentioned, the picture has shifted. The Giants have played better of late as the Mets have fallen apart. That leaves San Francisco just 1.5 games back of a playoff spot now, with two weeks left in the regular season. A couple of days ago, they lost first baseman Dominic Smith to a hamstring strain, which pushed him onto the injured list.

Eldridge has also been in pretty good form lately. Since the reporting that he was likely not going to be called up, he has taken 78 more plate appearances at the Triple-A level. He hit four home runs in that span and drew walks at a 10.3% clip. His 28.2% strikeout rate in that stretch is still high but his .294/.372/.559 line translates to a 132 wRC+, even in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League.

Put it all together and it’s easy to see the appeal for the Giants. They have somehow found themselves with a real shot at cracking the postseason. Eldridge has long been one of their top prospects for a while and could help them make a push. The injury to Smith opened a path for him. Promoting Eldridge now will mean the club has one less roster spot to use in the winter, but that’s a small price to pay for the potential short-term benefits.

In the weeks prior to Smith’s injury, the Giants had a three-man rotation for the first base and designated hitter spots. Rafael Devers was playing everyday, alternating between DH and first base. It’s been less than two months that he’s been a first baseman, so it seems the Giants have been gradually getting him accustomed to that spot. Smith and Wilmer Flores were essentially platooning in the other slot, with the lefty-hitting Smith in there against righties and the righty-swinging Flores against lefties. One of them would be at first or DH, depending on where Devers was.

Eldridge hits from the left side and could perhaps take up the role that Smith was in previously. Eldridge doesn’t have huge splits here in 2025, with a .258/.333/.515 line against righties and .270/.330/.494 against lefties, but there was a stark difference in 2024. Last year, he had a .319/.406/.584 line with the platoon advantage but a .211/.272/.316 line otherwise. The improvements this year are very encouraging but the Giants might still shield him from lefties as they play competitive games for the next two weeks.

On the other hand, Flores had oddly reverse splits this year. He has a .223/.277/.362 line and 79 wRC+ against southpaws but a .248/.322/.383 line and 102 wRC+ otherwise. His career splits are more tilted towards the norm, as he has been slightly better against lefties, but he hasn’t been crushing them lately.

One way or another, Eldridge should be in there somewhere. It would be odd for the Giants to call him up just for a bench role, so they presumably plan on him getting somewhat regular playing time. He does have some right field experience in the minors but not since 2023. He has been exclusively a first baseman since the start of 2024. In the long run, he and Devers will presumably be sharing first base and the DH spot in some form. Devers is signed through 2033 while Eldridge will still have six seasons of club control beyond this one.

Since he only plays first base, Eldridge has a slightly lesser ceiling than a player who can cover a premium defensive spot, but he’s so good at the plate that he’s still a consensus top 30 prospect in the league. There’s not enough time remaining in the 2025 season for him to exhaust rookie eligibility, so he will still populate those prospect lists going into 2026, even if he is eventually part of a deep postseason run this year. By maintaining rookie status going into 2026, he will be eligible for the prospect promotion incentive. That means he could earn the Giants an extra draft pick if he cracks next year’s Opening Day roster and then meets certain awards voting criteria.

Photos courtesy of Sergio Estrada, Imagn Images

Giants Place Dominic Smith On Injured List

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5:23pm: Smith has officially been placed on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. Outfielder Jerar Encarnacion was recalled to the roster in a corresponding move.

2:24pm: Patrick Bailey’s walkoff grand slam gave San Francisco a memorable 5-1 win over the Dodgers yesterday, but it wasn’t an entirely perfect night for the surging Giants.  First baseman Dominic Smith had to make an early exit in the fourth inning after suffering a thigh strain, and manager Bob Melvin said postgame that Smith would undergo an MRI.

“Usually those things are a little bit tougher, but I think it’s higher [on his hamstring], which is a little bit better.  We’re not sure where it’s going to go,” Melvin told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters, before praising Smith’s determination in completing the play that led to his injury.

Matt Chapman made a diving stop of an Andy Pages grounder in the top of the fourth, and then rocketed a throw across the diamond that was aimed just a bit short of first base.  However, Smith made a big stretch to snag the throw just before Pages hit the bag, and the inning-ending out was upheld after a replay challenge from the Dodgers.  Smith was in obvious discomfort after making the play, and Wilmer Flores pinch-hit for Smith in the bottom half of the fourth.

2025 has been a resurgent season for Smith, who hit only .241/.311/.360 over 1538 plate appearances with four different teams from 2021-24.  Starting this year on a pair of minor league contracts with the Yankees, Smith didn’t receive a call-up, and triggered an opt-out clause to re-enter free agency in June, with the Giants quickly signing the first baseman to a Major League deal.

The result has been a .284/.333/.417 slash line across 225 plate appearances for Smith in a San Francisco uniform.  A .329 BABIP has helped Smith overcome some uninspiring hard contact numbers, but Smith has been making a lot of contact (18.7% strikeout rate) in general.  The majority of his playing time has come against right-handed pitching, as the Giants utilized the lefty-swinging Smith in a first base platoon initially with Flores.

Rafael Devers’ emergence as a first baseman didn’t knock Smith out of the lineup, and Flores has increasingly been the odd man out with Devers and Smith splitting time between the first base and DH slots.  Should Smith have to miss time on the injured list, Flores is the most logical candidate to step into his role.

Smith’s signing didn’t draw much buzz back in June, yet in classic “you just never know” fashion, his health may play a significant factor in the playoff race.  The red-hot Giants have won 14 of their 18 games and the Mets are on a seven-game losing streak, leaving San Francisco just a half-game behind New York for the final NL wild card slot.  With things finally clicking for the Giants, the last thing they need is an injury to a player who has become a lineup staple.

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