Can the SF Giants afford to keep power-hitting bat on the roster this offseason?

Jerar Encarnación had an injury-plagued season with the SF Giants in 2025. Despite the limited playing time, the club will need to consider whether it can keep Encarnación on the roster this offseason without a clear role.

Can the SF Giants afford to keep power-hitting bat on the roster this offseason?

Encarnación was one of the Giants' best hitters this spring. They envisioned that he could see a prominent role with the club this season.

However, Encarnación sustained a fracture in his left hand in the final week of the Cactus League. That was only the beginning of his injury troubles. He had two more stints on the injured list due to an oblique strain and a hamstring strain.

In 56 sporadic plate appearances, the right-handed bat slashed .200/.214/.364 (57 wRC+) with two home runs, seven RBI, and five runs. There was a notable decline in his average exit velocity to 90.8 MPH, down from 95.0 MPH in 2024. That said, his exit velocity readings were still comfortably above league average.

Following the Mike Yastrzemski trade, the Giants used a handful of outfielders in right field. Encarnación was part of this group, along with Luis Matos and Drew Gilbert. No one ran with the opportunity. In fact, the Giants demoted Matos to Triple-A near the end of the season.

The Giants have several needs to address this winter, including finding an everyday outfielder. That would push Encarnación further down on the depth chart. It bears mentioning that he is also out of minor league options.

So, the Giants will need to decide whether they envision him having a role with the club next season. It is difficult to evaluate his performance from this past season. However, he does have a large enough sample over the past two seasons where the team can make a judgment.

Since the start of 2024, Encarnación has registered a .232/.257/.405 line (82 wRC+) with seven home runs, 26 RBI, and 18 runs in 175 plate appearances. This includes a 3.4 percent walk rate, 28.0 percent strikeout rate, and .173 ISO.

In that sample, the 27-year-old has flashed the potential to surpass 20 home runs with ease. On the other hand, there is a pretty rough combination of a high strikeout rate (28.0 percent), high ground ball rate (49.2 percent), and low walk rate (3.4 percent).

While he makes plenty of loud contact, a lot of that is into the ground. And, the on-base percentage is low enough that it is tough to project him as a role player. To Encarnación's credit, his defense in the outfield was surprisingly solid.

Those roster spots are so valuable in the offseason because there is no 60-day injured list, so it is tough to keep a player on the roster if there is no clear role going forward. Of course, when the Giants hire a new manager, he will have an influence on the roster as well.

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