Infield guru Ron Washington has undertaken a surprise new SF Giants pupil

One of the biggest pleasant surprises from the 2026 season for the SF Giants has been the defense of second baseman Luis Arraez. Infield guru Ron Washington deserves a ton of credit for that but he has now undertaken a new pupil who could be his toughest challenge yet.

Outfielder Jonah Cox was recently seen taking grounders from Washington during the grueling exercises he puts all of his infielders through. Cox is likely just an emergency option but if Washington could turn him into a serviceable infielder then he will have worked his magic yet again.

With Heliot Ramos returning from the IL, the Giants had to make room for him on the roster and Buddy Kennedy was the odd man out. That leaves the Giants with no infielders on their bench right now. They have Casey Schmitt who can play every position in the infield but he’s been starting in left field a lot to keep his bat in the lineup.

Giants need an emergency infielder and Cox is their best option right now

Sunday’s game threw into stark relief just how fragile things can be when the team has limited infield options on the bench. Casey Schmitt was scratched from the lineup due to sickness and shortstop Willy Adames left the game late due to back spasms which forced Schmitt to come in to play shortstop even though he wasn’t feeling great.

What if there’s a scenario where Schmitt is hurt or unavailable and an infielder has to be scratched? That could lead to Cox playing second base in a hurry which would obviously not be ideal.

Cox has only played one game at second base in his entire minor league career and that was back in 2024. He’s obviously a great athlete as his speed and agility make him a great asset in center field, but playing second base is about a lot more than speed.

Learning the intricacies of the position come with time and hundreds of games playing there so to expect Cox to be great in some sort of emergency situation would obviously be wishful thinking but if anyone can at least get Cox to a point where he can make most basic plays it’s Washington.

Of course, the Giants may decide they’d rather have a real infielder on the roster and they could get one if Adames has to go on the IL. Christian Koss is healthy again and could be recalled so the Giants at least know they have a capable backup on the team.

Plus, Cox’s recent performance at the plate suggests he could use a little more time in the minors as he’s looked outmatched at times. He’s got seven hits in 24 at-bats but has struck out 14 times.

The Giants would love to avoid having Cox play the infield but emergencies happen so it’s smart for the Giants to at least get him some training there and he couldn’t have a bettor mentor than Washington.

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