Could the latest SF Giants addition crack the Opening Day roster?

The SF Giants are reportedly adding veteran infielder Jake Lamb on a minor league deal. The odds of him making the Opening Day roster roster are low but he will not be competing against many other left-handed-hitting infielders in camp.

Could the latest SF Giants addition crack the Opening Day roster?

In fact, Brett Wisely and Sergio Alcántara are the only infielders who hit from the left side. This excludes LaMonte Wade Jr. at first base.

Interestingly, Wade Meckler might be a dark horse candidate to join that group as he did take some grounders at second base. For now, Wisely, Alcántara, and Lamb are the only utility bats from the left side in camp.

Wisely does have the edge given that he is on the 40-man roster. Alcántara and Lamb will be in camp as non-roster invitees, so they will need to perform to have any type of shot.

Admittedly, David Villar may have the inside track for the utility infielder role given that he is out of options. That factor tends to outweigh performance.

Earlier in his career, Lamb was an above-average hitter with power. From 2016 - 2017, Lamb slashed .248/.345/.498 with 59 home runs and 196 RBI with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He even earned an NL All-Star nod in 2017.

However, it has been a struggle since then as he has posted a .665 OPS while bouncing around the league. His last stop was with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023 and it was a brief one as he recorded only 54 plate appearances with the club.

Lamb did not appear in the majors in 2024 but put together a respectable .264/.350/.393 line in 414 plate appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates' Triple-A affiliate.

In the second half of his career, teams have used him primarily as a platoon lefty bat. For a corner infield, that role can still see modest playing time for some clubs. However, it has been a long time since he has even been a league-average hitter, save for a couple of brief stops with the Oakland A's and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 and 2022, respectively.

The 34-year-old has seen time primarily at first base and third base during his 10-year career. The Giants have plenty of coverage at both positions, so it would likely take a couple of injuries for Lamb to even have a shot.

At the end of the day, his performance will determine how much consideration he gets for an Opening Day spot with the club but it is a no-risk deal that teams make around this time of year. Even with a good spring, it is hard to envision how he can break camp with the club but the Giants will give him a shot.