Did any SF Giants infielder earn a utility role for 2027?

By the end of the year, the SF Giants were auditioning infielders for a role on next year’s roster. Did any of them succeed in that?

Osleivis Basabe, Shay Whitcomb, Nate Furman, Christian Koss, Brett Harris, and Marcelo Mayer were some of the names in the mix. The Giants hoped to get a better evaluation of Mayer, but a foot injury delayed his debut with his new club.

The former top prospect only tallied one hit in 15 at-bats in the final week of the year with San Francisco. They will likely want him to get more seasoning in the minors, but if he performs in spring training, he could break camp with the club.

Basabe, Whitcomb, and Harris all received healthy playing time in the final two months of the year. Whitcomb and Harris joined the Giants as waiver claims to give them enough infield coverage to get through the year.

Basabe has spent the past couple of years in the organization. He was traded to the Giants by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025 and was eventually passed through waivers. Basabe remained with the organization and got a second chance.

The right-handed bat ran into a few pitches early in his audition with the Giants, but struggled to reach base and on defense. Whitcomb and Harris did little to separate themselves from the mix as well. That said, Whitcomb has displayed decent power in the minors and helped the Giants clinch a series sweep against the St. Louis Cardinals in September. Basabe, Whitcomb, and Harris could all be part of the looming roster crunch.

The SF Giants need a utility player that complements the everyday core

Koss and Furman also got a look, with the former seeing everyday at-bats by the end of the year. Furman never found a groove and is likely limited to the right side of the infield, but it would have been nice to see him get more playing time.

On the other hand, Koss played capable defense at shortstop. That was an improvement over Willy Adames’ defense, but he did not hit enough to earn a role next season. However, the ability to cover shortstop will help his case.

In fairness, Jonah Cox could also see time in the infield next year. His best defensive position was in center field, and that is where they need him to play.

No one really separated themselves from the crowd. Tony Vitello struggled to leverage the bench early in the year, and keeping his players involved and engaged is part of being a manager.

That said, the front office is also to blame for that. They brought in a lot of utility bats, but none of whom offered anything different from the starting core. The puzzle pieces were redundant, and did not address a need.

The Giants could use a left-handed-hitting infielder to balance out a right-handed-heavy infield mix. Marcelo Mayer, and to some extent Nate Furman, fit that profile. This is especially important given that Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, and Casey Schmitt finished the year on the injured list. They need someone who can give them an extra day off here and there.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow