Giants’ Casey Schmitt Diagnosed With Grade 2 Oblique Strain
The Giants will be without infielder Casey Schmitt for around a month after imaging revealed a Grade 2 strain of his left oblique, manager Bob Melvin informed reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). Schmitt landed on the 10-day injured list over the weekend and will be out well beyond the minimum.
Schmitt broke camp as a righty-hitting utility player. There haven’t been many reps available behind Willy Adames, Matt Chapman and Tyler Fitzgerald. Schmitt has consequently platooned with lefty-swinging LaMonte Wade Jr. at first. Both players have struggled, leading to a combined .125/.211/.250 slash out of the position. Only the Rockies have gotten worse numbers from their first basemen.
A former second-round pick, Schmitt owns a .217/.260/.363 batting line in 414 MLB plate appearances. That includes a 4-23 start this year. He has yet to take a walk while going down on strikes nine times. A month-long absence probably won’t necessitate a move to the 60-day injured list, but any kind of setback could bring that into play.
Schmitt’s IL placement was the first in-season move the Giants have made. They’d avoided any kind of roster shuffling amidst the team’s strong opening three weeks. David Villar, who was outrighted off the 40-man roster late in Spring Training, was reselected in Schmitt’s place. Villar drew into yesterday’s lineup against Angels southpaw Yusei Kikuchi. He’ll probably take the lesser side of the first base platoon with Wade. Top prospect Bryce Eldridge is on the minor league injured list with a wrist issue and hasn’t played this season, so Wade should have a fairly long leash.
Giants Select David Villar, Place Casey Schmitt On Injured List
The Giants announced a series of roster moves this morning, highlighted by the club selecting the contract of infielder David Villar. Infielder Casey Schmitt was placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain, which clears a spot for Villar on the active roster, and a 40-man roster spot for Villar was created by transferring slugger Jerar Encarnacion to the 60-day injured list.
Villar, 28, has been a generally passable but unspectacular utility infielder for the Giants since he made his big league debut with the club back in 2022. In 109 big league games since then, he’s hit a slightly below league average .200/.288/.400 with a massive 32.4% strikeout rate that he somewhat makes up for with substantial power that could translate to 25-to-30 homers if given a full season’s worth of plate appearances. He pairs that power with the ability to play capable defense at first, second, or third base as necessary despite the majority of his working having come at the hot corner.
He’s always raked against Triple-A pitching, as evidenced by his .273/.381/.507 career line across parts of four seasons at the level. Unfortunately for Villar, however, he’s yet to prove himself in the majors and is currently out of options. That led the Giants to prefer carrying optionable bench pieces like Schmitt and Brett Wisely to open the year, leaving them to designate him for assignment just prior to Opening Day. He ultimately went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted to the minor leagues by the Giants, where he resumed hitting extremely well over 15 games before today’s call-up. The right-handed hitting Villar figures to back up Matt Chapman and Tyler Fitzgerald at second and third base, but most of his playing time could come in a platoon with struggling lefty LaMonte Wade Jr. after his previous platoon partner Schmitt hit the injured list.
Speaking of Schmitt, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that he was likely to head to the shelf after he suffered an oblique strain while hitting in the cages just before yesterday’s game. A timetable for Schmitt’s return is unlikely to be available until after he’s undergone testing to determine the severity of the strain, but he’ll be out for the next ten days at least even if the strain turns out to be extremely mild. It’s been a tough start to the year for Schmitt so far, as he’s hit just .174/.208/.261 in his current part-time role with the club. Of course, those numbers came in just eight games and 24 plate appearances. A look at Schmitt’s work in 40 games last year, where he hit .252/.283/.477, is far more encouraging and comes in a more robust (though still fairly small) sample of 113 plate appearances.
As for Encarnacion, his placement on the 60-day IL is hardly a surprise. The slugger was ticketed for a regular DH job with the Giants but suffered a hand fracture just before Opening Day and is expected to miss at least eight weeks due to the issue. That means he could be transferred without it impacting his potential timeline for return at all, as his minimum stay on the IL will expire in late May, right away the most optimistic date for his expected return to action. The 27-year-old was a league average hitter for the Giants in 35 games last year and got the club’s attention after raking for the Mexican League’s Guerreros de Oaxaca and the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento.
Poll: Can The Giants Sustain Their Hot Start?
When the Giants completed their 19th game of the 2021 season four years ago, they were 12-7, two games behind the reigning World Series champion Dodgers for the NL West lead. After four straight seasons with losing records, few expected a Giants club that was largely unchanged from the year prior to find any sort of success even after their solid start to the season. Even fewer expected what would actually come to pass, as San Francisco improbably went on to win 107 games and squeak out a division title over L.A. by just one game.
Flash forward to this year, and the Giants are 13-6 after their 19th game of the season and even closer to the once again reigning World Series champion Dodgers in the standings, sitting just half a game back. For fans in San Francisco who were jaded by the three seasons of mediocrity since that magical 2021 campaign, the Giants’ start has been a huge breath of fresh air. Scorching hot starts from outfielders Jung Hoo Lee and Mike Yastrzemski have helped carry the offense to the third-highest total of runs scored in the majors entering play today. Logan Webb has continued to play his part as a perennial candidate for the Cy Young award. The bullpen’s sterling 1.89 ERA is the second-best figure in all of baseball.
Those are encouraging signs, and there’s an argument that the team figures to get better in some areas. Willy Adames hasn’t begun to hit yet after signing the largest contract in franchise history. LaMonte Wade Jr. certainly won’t hit .102 all year, and even if he did continue to flounder, top prospect Bryce Eldridge could eventually be called upon to fill his shoes at first base. The rotation’s lackluster ERA (4.80) is nearly a full run higher than its FIP (3.90) and SIERA (4.00); Justin Verlander and Jordan Hicks almost certainly won’t continue running ERAs north of 6.00.
Projection systems have begun to generally buy into San Francisco’s hot start. FanGraphs gives the Giants a 51.3% chance to make the postseason with a projected record of 86-76, a massive step forward from their preseason projections (81-81, 28.5% postseason chance).
That’s not to say there are no potential red flags, of course. The rotation has looked rough outside of Webb. The rest of the group figures to bounce back from rough starts to at least some extent, but Robbie Ray‘s velocity is at its second-lowest mark ever and he’s walking nearly 18% of his opponents. Could this version of Ray, a 42-year-old Verlander or Hicks serve as a credible No. 2 starter for a playoff team? That could be asking a lot. Meanwhile, the bullpen is currently outperforming both its FIP and SIERA by nearly a run and a half.
The biggest obstacle for the Giants if they want to maintain their current success, however, is the landscape of the NL West. Their excellent 13-6 record is good for only third place in the division and just one game ahead of the fourth-place D-backs (who’d won five straight and seven of their past eight). Arizona, San Diego, and especially L.A. entered the season not just as projected contenders, but potentially dominant clubs. Their own starts to the season have done little to change those expectations, and while the Giants have pulled off some impressive series wins against clubs like the Yankees and Astros, they’ve yet to play a single game against their own division.
Their first big test in that regard will be a two-game set against the Padres at the end of the month. The Giants will be in Arizona for the first time about a month from now, and they won’t face the Dodgers until mid-June. Perhaps being able to save difficult matchups against division rivals for later in the season will allow the Giants to build enough of a cushion to sustain themselves through the trade deadline, when they can add reinforcements. A stretch of 13 straight games against the D-backs and Dodgers in mid-September presents a potentially formidable roadblock late in the season.
How sustainable do MLBTR readers believe San Francisco’s hot start to be? Will they be able to exceed preseason expectations that they’d finish around .500, or perhaps even make it to October? Have your say in the poll below:
How will the Giants finish the 2025 season?
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The Giants will miss the playoffs, but exceed expectations and finish with a winning record. 46% (1,347)
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The Giants will make the playoffs. 38% (1,135)
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The Giants will finish .500 or worse. 16% (476)
Total votes: 2,958
Looking Ahead To Club Options: NL West
Over the coming days, MLBTR will look at next offseason’s option class. Steve Adams will highlight the players who can opt out of their current deals, while we’ll take a division-by-division look at those whose contracts contain either team or mutual options. Virtually all of the mutual options will be bought out by one side. Generally, if the team is willing to retain the player at the option price, the player will decline his end in search of a better free agent deal.
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Kendall Graveman, RHP ($5MM mutual option, $100K buyout)
Arizona signed the veteran righty, who missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in January 2024. Graveman was hobbled by back discomfort this spring and began the year on the 15-day injured list. He has thrown a few bullpen sessions but has yet to begin a rehab assignment. During his most recent healthy season, Graveman worked to a 3.12 ERA across 66 1/3 innings between the White Sox and Astros.
- Randal Grichuk, OF ($5MM mutual option, $3MM buyout)
Grichuk posted big numbers in a short-side platoon role for the Snakes in 2024. Arizona brought him back on a $5MM free agent deal. He’s making only a $2MM salary and will collect a $3MM buyout on his option at the end of the season. Grichuk hasn’t gotten much playing time, starting six of Arizona’s 19 games (all but one as the designated hitter). He’s out to a decent start, batting .240 with five doubles over 28 plate appearances.
Colorado Rockies
- Kyle Farmer, 2B ($4MM mutual option, $750K buyout)
Farmer has been a rare bright spot in what has been a terrible Colorado lineup. The veteran utilityman has started 15 of their 18 games. He’s playing mostly second base and is hitting .345 with nine doubles, the second-most in MLB. Farmer isn’t going to keep hitting at this pace, but it’s an excellent start for a player who signed for $3.25MM after a down year (.214/.293/.353) with Minnesota.
- Tyler Kinley, RHP ($5MM club option, $750K buyout)
Kinley signed a three-year extension during the 2022-23 offseason. The slider specialist had a brilliant first half to the ’22 campaign, but that was cut short in July by elbow surgery. Kinley hasn’t been the same pitcher since returning. He allowed more than six earned runs per nine in both 2022 and ’23. He has given up five runs (four earned) with seven strikeouts and six walks across 7 2/3 innings this season. Kinley owns a 6.03 ERA while walking more than 11% of opposing hitters over 88 frames since signing the extension.
The option comes with a $5MM base value. It would escalate by $500K apiece if Kinley finishes 20, 25, and 30 games — potentially up to $6.5MM. He has finished two contests in the early going. While the option isn’t especially costly, this is trending towards a buyout.
- Jacob Stallings, C ($2MM mutual option, $500K buyout)
Stallings produced the best offensive numbers of his career for the Rox in 2024. He returned on a $2.5MM deal early in the offseason. Stallings has been more of the 1-b catcher behind Hunter Goodman. He has started seven games and caught 59 innings. It’s been a slow start, as he’s batting .125 with 12 strikeouts in 27 trips to the plate.
Note: Thairo Estrada’s one-year deal contains a ’26 mutual option, but he’s excluded from this exercise because he would remain eligible for arbitration if the option is declined.
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Max Muncy, 3B ($10MM club option, no buyout)
This could end up being a borderline call. The Dodgers can keep Muncy around for what’d be his ninth season in L.A. on a $10MM price tag. That’s not an exorbitant sum for baseball’s highest-spending team. Muncy has generally been an excellent hitter in the middle of Dave Roberts’ lineup. He’s a career .230/.355/.482 hitter in Dodger blue. He remained as productive when he was healthy last season, posting a .232/.358/.494 slash over 73 games. An oblique strain cost him three months.
Muncy is out to a much slower start this year. He has yet to connect on a home run in 18 games. He’s batting .193 with 25 strikeouts in 68 plate appearances (a 36.8% rate). It’s very early, of course, but he’ll need to pick things up. Muncy turns 35 in August. NPB third baseman Munetaka Murakami will be posted for MLB teams next offseason. The Dodgers will very likely be involved on the 25-year-old slugger, so it’s possible they’d prefer to keep the position open early in the winter.
- Chris Taylor, INF/OF ($12MM club option, $4MM buyout)
Taylor is in the final season of his four-year, $60MM free agent deal. He was coming off an All-Star season in 2021, when he hit .254/.344/.438 with 20 homers. His offense has trended down over the course of the contract, especially sharply over the past two years. Taylor fanned at a near-31% clip last season, batting .202/.298/.300 in 246 plate appearances. He has only been in the starting lineup three times this season.
The Dodgers have kept Taylor throughout his offensive struggles. They clearly place a lot of value on him as a clubhouse presence and appreciate the defensive versatility he provides off the bench. Still, it’s hard to imagine them paying the extra $8MM to exercise the option since he’s essentially the final position player on the roster. The option price would increase by $1MM if Taylor is traded or in the unlikely event that he reaches 525 plate appearances and/or makes the All-Star Game.
Note: Alex Vesia’s arbitration contract contains a ’26 club option, but he’s excluded from this exercise because he would remain eligible for arbitration if the option is declined.
San Diego Padres
- Elias Díaz, C ($7MM mutual option, $2MM buyout)
Díaz finished last season in San Diego after being released by the Rockies. He re-signed on a $3.5MM deal as the Padres went with the affordable veteran catching tandem of Díaz and Martín Maldonado. He’s hitting .206 in 13 games, though he has taken seven walks against eight strikeouts.
- Kyle Hart, LHP ($5MM club option, $500K buyout)
Hart, a soft-tossing lefty, returned to the majors after an excellent year in Korea. He signed a $1.5MM guarantee with a ’26 team option that has a $5MM base salary. The option price could climb as high as $7.5MM. It would jump $250K if Hart reaches 18 starts this year, $500K at 22 starts, $750K at 26 starts, and $1MM if he starts 30 games.
San Diego has given Hart a season-opening rotation spot. He has allowed seven runs over his first 11 2/3 innings. Hart has walked five with eight strikeouts and a below-average 8.3% swinging strike percentage.
- Michael King, RHP ($15MM mutual option, $3.75MM buyout)
King’s option is purely an accounting measure. He agreed to push $3.75MM of this year’s $7.75MM guarantee back to the end of the season in the form of a buyout — potentially buying the Padres a bit of flexibility for in-season trade acquisitions. Barring a major injury, he’s going to decline his end of the option and will be one of the top pitchers in next year’s class.
- Tyler Wade, SS/OF ($1MM club option, no buyout)
Wade agreed to a $1MM club option as part of a deal to avoid a hearing in his final year of arbitration. He was squeezed off the roster during Spring Training. Wade cleared waivers, accepted an assignment to Triple-A, then came back up last week. He’s playing center field with Jackson Merrill and Brandon Lockridge on the injured list. The option price is barely above the league minimum, but Wade is on the roster bubble and no guarantee to stick in the majors through the end of the season.
San Francisco Giants
- Tom Murphy, C ($4MM club option, $250K buyout)
San Francisco added Murphy on a two-year deal during the 2023-24 offseason. The veteran catcher has had a difficult time staying healthy throughout his career, and that’s continued in San Francisco. He played in only 13 games last year because of a knee sprain. He started this season on the shelf with a herniated disc that is going to keep him out for at least the first two months. This looks like a buyout.
Blue Jays Notes: Burnes, Bregman, Scherzer, Varsho, Swanson, Burr
The Blue Jays were one of the kings of the rumor mill this winter, seemingly linked to just about every notable name on the free agent market. Corbin Burnes was one of those targets, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale sheds some light on the Jays’ pursuit in his notes column today while also countering his own past reporting on the matter.
Back in December, Nightengale wrote that the Jays and Giants offered Burnes more than the six-year, $210MM he received from the Diamondbacks. Burnes himself described Arizona’s offer as “by far the best offer that we had,” as Nightengale’s latest report notes that the “Giants’ pursuit of Burnes stopped before it really got started.” As for Toronto, Nightengale now writes that the Jays’ offer “was not only low, but was 75% deferred.”
While the exact dollar figures aren’t known, it seems possible that the Blue Jays might have technically offered more than $210MM, yet the heavy amount of deferred money involved lowered the contract’s current value to below what Burnes got from the D’Backs. It should be noted that Burnes’ Arizona deal also involves $64MM in deferrals, and the fact that Burnes can opt out of his deal after the 2026 also impacts the financial structure.
Alex Bregman was another name reportedly on the Blue Jays’ target list, yet Nightengale writes that “they didn’t make a single offer to Bregman, let alone engage with him.” The Jays entered the offseason without a clear answer at second or third base, so it made sense on paper that Toronto would at least check in on Bregman as a solution to the need at the hot corner. Instead, the Jays acquired Andres Gimenez to become the new everyday second baseman, and stuck with internal options (i.e. Will Wagner, Ernie Clement) to split time at third base.
One free agent Toronto did sign was Max Scherzer, who inked a one-year, $15.5MM contract. Unfortunately, the longtime star’s Jays debut ended after just three innings due to continued issues with his right thumb, leading to a trip to the 15-day injured list. The righty received a cortisone shot just under two weeks ago, and Jays manager John Schneider told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and other reporters that a fresh set of imaging tests taken Friday didn’t reveal any damage.
While this represents some good news, both the team and Scherzer remain in day-to-day mode as they try to figure out the injury that has now bothered Scherzer for the better part of a year. Scherzer is playing catch and throwing off of flat ground for now, but has yet to bump up his throwing program to prepare for a return to action.
Moving onto some more injury updates, Daulton Varsho will start playing in full extended Spring Training games this coming week. Varsho underwent rotator cuff surgery last September and began the season on the 10-day injured list as he continued his rehab work. Throwing remains the final step in the process, as Varsho has yet to start making full throws from the outfield, but presumably he’ll check that box before returning to proper game action.
Despite his semi-injured status, Varsho still got a good deal of work in during the Jays’ actual Spring Training, as he had 37 plate appearances as a designated hitter. The fact that Varsho has been able to partake in other baseball activities beyond throwing could mean that it might not take him long to get fully ramped up for his eventual return to the Blue Jays’ active roster. He’ll still surely need a Triple-A rehab assignment, but it appears as though Varsho is on pace to meet his expected timeline of an IL activation before the end of April.
Erik Swanson is also on the road to recovery after a median nerve entrapment in his right arm led to a season-opening stint on the IL. Swanson will face live hitters this week and is expected to then start a minor league rehab assignment. Ryan Burr threw a bullpen session yesterday, in the latest step of his rehab after he also started the year on the 15-day IL due to shoulder fatigue.
NL West Notes: Ohtani, Gomber, Birdsong
The Dodgers have been taking things slowly with superstar Shohei Ohtani as he prepares for his return to pitching. After just over a month off from regular bullpen sessions, Ohtani resumed throwing last weekend and threw another bullpen session earlier today. As noted by Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, Ohtani threw 26 pitches, and for the first time this year he included his splitter in the bullpen session. This came after what Plunkett described as a “light” bullpen session on Thursday. While that’s a noticeable ramp-up in activity, it shouldn’t be mistaken for the Dodgers accelerating Ohtani’s timeline back to the big league mound.
According to Plunkett, manager Dave Roberts indicated that the club hopes to replicate something akin to the schedule Ohtani will have when he returns to the big league mound as a starter by having him throw off the mound twice a week: once with a lighter bullpen session on Thursday followed by a full session on Saturday. Despite the superstar now getting back on the mound somewhat regularly, Plunkett notes that there’s still a long way to go before he’ll be ready to pitch in a big league game for the Dodgers. He relays that, per Roberts, the next step for Ohtani would be to incorporate his entire arsenal into his bullpen sessions rather than exclusively fastballs and an occasional splitter.
It won’t be until Ohtani is using his full arsenal that facing live hitters in simulated games, which the Dodgers plan to use in lieu of a rehab assignment to get Ohtani up to game speed while still allowing him to continue serving as their everyday DH in the lineup, is on the table. He’ll surely need several of those outings before he’s ready to get into games, and Plunkett suggests that at this point a realistic timeline for Ohtani’s pitching debut with the Dodgers would be sometime in June “at the earliest.” In the meantime, the Dodgers are utilizing a rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Dustin May. Both Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin could also return from the injured list before Ohtani is ready to pitch, giving the Dodgers a host of potential options for the rotation.
More from around the NL West…
- Rockies southpaw Austin Gomber began the season on the injured list due to soreness in his left shoulder, and while he was sent out for a rehab assignment just after Opening Day with an eye towards returning after just the first couple of weeks of the season, he was scratched from his next rehab start due to shoulder inflammation. That paved the way for Colorado to promote Chase Dollander to the big leagues, and Thomas Harding of MLB.com spoke to Gomber in more detail about the situation today. According to Harding, Gomber wasn’t able to pitch at maximum effectiveness during his rehab start even after receiving an anti-inflammatory injection in his shoulder. As a result, Gomber noted that the plan now is for him to have a slower and “more traditional” rehab process. He won’t throw for another week while the inflammation calms down, and will likely not return to the mound for another two or three weeks after that.
- While the Giants initially planned to use young right-hander Hayden Birdsong as a long reliever and piggyback starter after he lost out on the fifth starter job to Landen Roupp, it appears that may no longer be in the cards. As noted by Justice delos Santos of Mercury News, manager Bob Melvin told reporters today that the club is now treating Birdsong as a “true reliever” after his limited usage to begin the season. Birdsong has appeared just once in the Giants’ first week of games, making a two-inning appearance that saw him throw just 27 pitches. With Birdsong no longer stretched out as a starter for the time being, Melvin suggested that a one-inning appearance for the righty could be on the table. Birdsong pitched exclusively as a starter in the majors last year, with a 4.75 ERA in 16 starts, and hadn’t made a relief appearance in the major or minor leagues at the Double-A level or higher at any point in his career prior to his 2025 debut.
Jay Jackson To Retire
After a professional career that spanned 17 years, veteran right-hander Jay Jackson is hanging up his glove. Robert Murray of FanSided reported this afternoon that Jackson is retiring from his playing career, adding that the 37-year-old hopes to have a second act in baseball, whether that comes by working for a team or in broadcasting.
Jackson was selected by the Cubs in the ninth-round of the 2008 MLB draft and made his pro debut later the summer at 20 years old. A fringe top-100 prospect entering the 2010 season after he pitched to a 2.98 ERA in 24 starts across three levels of the Chicago farm system, Jackson spent the next three seasons struggling at the Triple-A level without breaking into the majors. He was eventually released by the Cubs in early 2013 and bounced between the Marlins, Pirates, and Brewers before eventually landing with the Padres prior to the 2015 season. In San Diego, the right-hander moved to a full-time bullpen role and dominated the Double- and Triple-A levels, earning the opportunity to pitch in the majors for the first time in his career.
Jackson’s first big league cup of coffee did not go especially well, as he surrendered three runs in 4 1/3 innings across six appearances. Even so, the opportunity was enough to get the righty noticed by the Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He pitched for the Carp for three seasons, from 2016 to 2018, and put together an impressive resume with a sterling 2.11 ERA and a 26.9% strikeout rate in 175 NPB innings. That work earned him his second big league opportunity, as he returned to the Brewers organization and pitched to a 4.45 ERA across 30 1/3 innings of work in 2019, but it was only after a second sojourn to Japan (this time as a member of the Chiba Lotte Marines) in 2020 that Jackson was able to stick in the majors.
After signing with the Giants in 2021 for his age-33 season, Jackson enjoyed a late-career stretch of success in the majors. Though he pitched just 52 2/3 innings at the big league level for San Francisco, Atlanta, and Toronto from 2021 to 2023, Jackson posted an excellent 2.73 ERA across those 50 appearances and struck out 26.5% of his opponents. That was enough to earn Jackson a look from the Twins last year in his age-36 season, though he struggled badly with a 7.52 ERA across 20 appearances before being released by Minnesota last year. Jackson initially signed with the Mexican League’s Bravos de Leon earlier this month in an effort to continue his playing career, but evidently has now decided to wrap up his days as a player instead.
Overall, Jackson pitched to a lifetime 4.43 ERA (97 ERA+) with a 4.47 FIP across 113 2/3 major league innings, with a 7-4 record and 136 strikeouts in 104 career games. That’s in addition to his excellent years in Japan, where he posted a 2.16 ERA and struck out 204 batters in 183 NPB innings. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Jackson on his nearly two decades of work in baseball and wish him all the best in whatever comes next.
Giants Outright David Villar To Triple-A
The Giants announced that infielder David Villar cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A. Villar was designated for assignment earlier this week.
Because this is Villar’s first career outright assignment, he doesn’t yet have the ability to opt into free agency rather than accept the assignment to Triple-A. Villar now has that ability going forward in his career, perhaps making for some future transactional wrangling since he is also out of minor league options. That out-of-options status is what required the Giants to DFA Villar, as the club had to first expose him to waivers before sending him down to the minors.
An 11th-round pick for the Giants in the 2018 draft, Villar had a nice rookie season in 2022, hitting .231/.331/.455 with nine home runs over 181 plate appearances. Most of his playing time that year came at third base, but once J.D. Davis took the bulk of the hot corner work in 2023, Villar spent more time at first and second base during his time in the majors. With Matt Chapman taking over third base in 2024 and the Giants’ infield becoming even more crowded with options, Villar played only first base over his 11 MLB games last season.
A lack of offensive production was the larger reason Villar couldn’t find a spot anywhere in the lineup. He hit only .145/.236/.315 over 140 PA in 2023, and then .257/.270/.457 in 37 PA in 2024. San Francisco often cycled Villar up and down from Triple-A for depth purposes during his time with the club, but now that his minor league options have been exhausted, the Giants chose to move onto bench players with more roster flexibility.
Giants’ Jerar Encarnacion To Miss Eight Weeks After Hand Surgery
Jerar Encarnacion suffered a fracture in his left hand (near his ring finger) eight days ago, and the Giants outfielder underwent surgery on his hand yesterday. The Giants were holding off a set timeline on Encarnacion’s recovery until the surgery was complete, and the team announced today that Encarnacion will be out of action for eight weeks. Encarnacion began the season on San Francisco’s 10-day injured list, but given this new information, it seems like the club could move him to the 60-day IL (officially sidelining Encarnacion until at least late May) whenever a 40-man roster spot is needed.
The injury was suffered when Encarnacion dove for a ball in the outfield during a Spring Training game on March 21. Initially, the injury was described as a jammed finger, and Encarnacion also said he was facing a recovery time of around 4-6 weeks since the issue was a hairline fracture in the ring finger. However, more tests seemingly revealed more serious damage, leading to an even longer IL stay for the 27-year-old.
Encarnacion made his MLB debut in the form of 23 games and 81 plate appearances with the Marlins in 2022, and he didn’t return to the big leagues until his minor league contract with the Giants was selected to the club’s active roster last August. In between, Encarnacion’s bat was on fire for much of the 2024 season — first during a stint in the Mexican League, and then with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. That big production got him another look at the Major League level, and Encarnacion then hit .248/.277/.425 with five home runs over his 119 PA in a San Francisco uniform.
While not exceptional numbers, Encarnacion did enough to keep himself on the radar for an increased role in the 2025 lineup. Until his injury unfortunately spoiled things, Encarnacion was having a strong spring camp, and was projected to be the Giants’ primary DH. Encarnacion has never been considered a great defensive player, yet he might well have also gotten some playing time as a right-handed hitting complement to lefty swingers Mike Yastrzemski or LaMonte Wade Jr. in right field or at first base.
The Giants have other right-handed depth available, and Encarnacion’s injury most directly opened the door for rookie Christian Koss to make the Opening Day roster. Wilmer Flores will probably get the majority of DH at-bats until Encarnacion is back, though the Giants could opt to just cycle multiple players through the DH spot to keep everyone fresh.
Giants Select Christian Koss
The Giants announced that they’ve selected infielder Christian Koss onto the 40-man roster. He’ll break camp and will make his major league debut once he gets into a game. San Francisco optioned Grant McCray and Brett Wisely while reassigning non-roster invitees Joel Peguero and Max Stassi to Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants also placed Jerar Encarnacion on the 10-day injured list with a fracture in his left hand that’ll require surgery. They placed catcher Tom Murphy on the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot for Koss.
Koss, 27, is entering his second season in the San Francisco organization. The Giants acquired him from the Red Sox in a minor league deal on the eve of the ’24 campaign. It was the second trade of his career. Koss was initially a 12th-round pick by Colorado and went to the Red Sox in a minor trade in 2020. He reached Triple-A in the Boston system before being traded.
The UC-Irvine product divided his first season with San Francisco between the top two minor league levels. He raked at a .386/.453/.627 clip over 25 Double-A games but posted a more modest .257/.332/.415 line across 197 Triple-A plate appearances. Koss played quite well in Spring Training, hitting .341 with five walks and seven strikeouts through 47 trips to the plate. He can bounce around the infield and provides a speed element off the bench. Koss and Casey Schmitt will work as utility players behind Tyler Fitzgerald, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman.
Murphy, who has dealt with plenty of injuries throughout his career, is currently shelved with a herniated disc in his back. He has received multiple epidural injections. He’ll miss at least the first two months of the season. Sam Huff will begin the season as the backup catcher behind Patrick Bailey.