3 SF Giants who are simply taking up space on the roster right now

The SF Giants have bigger things to worry about right now than what's happening on the field, but it is still worth keeping an eye on the roster. Several players were called up in the last month or so yet they have not been used all that regularly.

This has been a continual problem throughout the season for manager Tony Vitello. He's struggled at times to utilize his bench properly which isn't entirely his fault. The roster is not really designed to have a lot of platoon splits or a lot of mixing and matching so naturally some players will be underutilized.

Let's take a look at three Giants on the roster right now who are basically just taking up space and will usually only play if there's an injury.

3 Giants players who are basically dead weight on the roster right now

Jonah Cox

When the Giants called up Jonah Cox directly from Double-A, the presumption was that he'd get a pretty long look in the outfield. His speed and agility made him an interesting asset for the team but he has barely played at all as of late.

Prior to yesterday's contest, Cox had not had an at-bat since June 10 against the Washington Nationals. He's been used primarily as a pinch runner or defensive replacement but it's a bit jarring that he went nearly two weeks without an AB.

The only reason he got into Tuesday night's game was because Luis Arraez went down with an injury and had to be removed from the game after fouling a ball off his foot. Casey Schmitt was moved from left field to second base, Drew Gilbert was moved from center field to left, and Cox came into the game to play center.

Cox struck out in his two at-bats against the Athletics, his former organization, which probably shouldn't come as a surprise given how infrequently he's being used.

He hasn't done terribly when given opportunities as he has six hits in 17 at-bats on the season although he does have nine strikeouts. It will be interesting to see if Cox gets demoted when Heliot Ramos returns from the IL.

Buddy Kennedy

The Giants called up Buddy Kennedy at the start of June after he was hitting well in Triple-A. He has just seven at-bats since getting called up and has not played in a game since June 10. He's yet to record a hit and it's clear he is really only on the roster in case someone gets hurt during a game and even then he probably wouldn't play because if it was an infielder the Giants would just move Schmitt to that position and put Cox in the outfield. Kennedy is in purgatory right now much like Christian Koss was earlier in the season.

Victor Bericoto

Victor Bericoto was also hitting very well in Triple-A which earned him a promotion but he too has been iced out. He's got three hits in 18 at-bats and one of them was a very important home run against the Milwaukee Brewers but he has barely played at all.

He got one at-bat as a pinch hitter in Miami but prior to that he last played on June 10 just like Cox and Kennedy. Bericoto is more likely than Cox to get demoted to make room for Ramos since Cox is more of an asset defensively and as a pinch runner.

Maybe these guys will see some action on Wednesday night against the Athletics since they will face a left-handed starter. If Arraez is kept out of the lineup that means Cox should be in center field, Schmitt will probably start at second, and then Bericoto should be in left field because Drew Gilbert reached base for the first time this season in 24 plate appearances against a left-handed pitcher last night on a walk.

These guys are basically just stuck riding the pine for the most part with the way the roster is constructed so they really have to take advantage of their limited opportunities which is tough to do when they go so long without playing.

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