San Francisco Giants: What’s Next for Mac Williamson?

Mac Williamson cleared waivers on Thursday and was sent to Triple-A Sacramento. He is out of DFA limbo, but questions still remain for the former San Francisco Giants prospect.

At this point, it’s fair to wonder what’s next for Mac Williamson. Will he don a San Francisco Giants uniform again?

With the additions of Kevin Pillar and Gerardo Parra, to go along with Steven Duggar, the Giants have a relatively stable outfield contingent.

Williamson has good power and could eventually force his way back on to the roster, but there’s no clear path to playing time. At 28 years old, he’s no longer a prospect, and the decision to designate him for assignment speaks to the organization’s willingness to move on.

In fact, he might have a hard time finding at-bats in the minors.

The Triple-A Sacramento River Cats roster has plenty of outfield depth. That was evident when the Giants sent prospect Chris Shaw to Double-A Richmond to start the season, even after he spent the entire 2018 season in Triple-A and the majors.

That could have something to do with Shaw’s need to refine his approach at the plate, but the glut of outfielders likely played a role as well.

Heading into Thursday, the Sacramento roster featured Anthony Garcia, Henry Ramos, Austin Slater, Mike Gerber, and Mike Yastrzemski in the outfield.

There’s some versatility in that group. Ramos and Gerber can play all three outfield positions, while Slater can play first base. Still, it’s a packed roster.

Now, Williamson joins the roster, and it’s clear that consistent playing time will not be available for all of the outfield options.

An interesting wrinkle to this situation is the fact that Gerber, Garcia, Ramos, and Yastrzemski were all brought in this offseason by Farhan Zaidi. The new team president may want to see “his guys” get the bulk of the playing time.

One thing is clear, if Williamson is going to get playing time, he will need to force the issue quickly. He did it at the beginning of last season, hitting .487 with six home runs and 16 RBI in his first 11 games to earn a quick call-up to the majors. Perhaps, he can do it again.

Ultimately, Williamson will have to find a way to stand out from the crowd, which he has not done often enough of during his time with the organization. The power is real, but consistency remains an issue. Maybe he exceeds expectations, but more than likely, his time with the San Francisco Giants has already come to an end.