One SF Giants outfielder is seemingly the odd player out on the depth chart

Grant McCray is the only SF Giants outfielder on the 40-man roster to not appear in the majors this season. Perhaps, that is a sign that he is seemingly the odd player out on the depth chart.

Within the past month, the Giants have promoted two outfielders to the 40-man roster rather than give McCray an opportunity. This includes Jonah Cox, who was called up from Double-A on Sunday in a surprise move.

This has coincided with the Giants' outfield ranking near the bottom of baseball in offensive production (89 wRC+) and value (0.0 fWAR). There are plenty of at-bats to go around, especially with the injuries to Jung Hoo Lee, Heliot Ramos, and Harrison Bader.

Lee recently returned from the injured list, but Bader sustained another injury over the weekend and Ramos is expected to miss some time. There are at-bats available for alternatives to carve out a role with the club.

This has led to some experiments with Casey Schmitt and Jesús Rodríguez in the outfield. Plus, Drew Gilbert and Will Brennan have gotten a look. Brennan has only received 23 plate appearances, but that might be all they need to see.

SF Giants seem unwilling to give speedy outfielder Grant McCray a chance

On the other hand, Gilbert has tallied 122 plate appearances this season. It has been more of the same, as he has put up a .676 OPS with three home runs and 12 RBI. He can fill in as a fourth outfielder, but an everyday role is a stretch. The presence of Cox should eat into Gilbert's playing time, especially with a left-handed pitcher on the mound.

Brennan, Gilbert, and McCray all hit from the left side. There is a good chance that they all offer comparable value, but differ in how they get there. It bears mentioning that none of the three options might offer all that much value in the first place.

The Giants have tried everyone else but McCray. The Jonah Cox and Victor Bericoto promotions likely serve as a sign for how the Giants view McCray. This is to say that they seemingly want to see other options.

McCray was viewed as one of the top outfield prospects in the organization not that long ago. He is still just 25 years old, but he has struggled to put up consistent production in Triple-A. The 2026 season has been his best yet with the Sacramento River Cats. He is slashing .237/.360/.370 (98 wRC+) with four home runs, 28 RBI, and 38 runs in 211 plate appearances. This includes a 15.6 percent walk rate, 21.8 percent strikeout rate, and .133 ISO.

There has been a notable decrease in McCray's strikeout rate. That has been a problem for years. Not surprisingly, his zone contact rate is much more tolerable at 82.9 percent. He continues to post high walk rates, but it comes with declining power numbers, and he is not nearly as aggressive on the bases as he was earlier in his pro career.

While the Giants continue to survey the organization for outfield solutions, they do not seem all that keen on giving McCray a chance. The Giants know what Will Brennan and Drew Gilbert can do. It might be worth it to see if McCray can do better.

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