2024 SF Giants breakout player's future looks bleak after being optioned

The SF Giants reinstated Matt Chapman from the IL and to make room for him they optioned Tyler Fitzgerald to Triple-A Sacramento. This latest demotion makes the future look fairly bleak for the 2024 breakout player.

Just one year removed from slashing .280/.334/.497 with 15 home runs and 34 runs batted in, Fitzgerald now looks lost and it is clear that the front office is now exactly sure what to do with him either.

Future for SF Giants utility man Tyler Fitzgerald looks bleak after demotion

Fitzgerald's hot bat ensured a spot in the lineup last season which is why he saw a lot of time at shortstop. He was the starter there for much of the season, but in the offseason president of baseball operations Buster Posey identified shortstop as a position of need which led to the team signing Willy Adames. That meant Fitzgerald would slide over to second base in 2025.

Things did not start off too badly for Fitzgerald this season. At the end of April he was slashing .284/.341/.432, but after cracking his rib his numbers dropped precipitously over the course of the following months which led to him being demoted to Triple-A.

He was recently called back up and was used in right field in a somewhat puzzling experiment which shows that the front office is clearly confused on how to use Fitzgerald at this point. He only had two hits in 19 at-bats during this most recent call-up so it came as no surprise that he was sent down to make room for Chapman.

Where does Fitzgerald go from here? This season has obviously been a big disappointment for the 27-year-old coming on the heels of a breakout 2024 campaign. He seems to be an afterthought in the competition to be the starting second baseman in 2026 with Casey Schmitt and Christian Koss looking like far better options as of late.

The experiment in right field seemed to be an attempt at trying Fitzgerald out as a sort of super-utility guy who can play pretty much anywhere on the diamond. His speed and athleticism definitely make him a candidate for both infield and outfield duties, but that does not matter that much if he cannot produce at the plate.

It is not time to write Fitzgerald off just yet, but it is fair to think his future looks somewhat bleak going into next season. Schmitt seems to be claiming the second base role for himself with his play as of late, so that may only give Fitzgerald a shot at bench duties next year if Schmitt continues to play well.

There is still time, but Fitzgerald is going to have to turn things around if he wants to be part of San Francisco's plans going forward.

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