3 SF Giants players who made the Opening Day roster but won't finish the year on it

3 SF Giants players who made the Opening Day roster but won't finish the year on it

1. Corner infielder J.D. Davis

Davis, 29, is a man without a position for the 2023 Giants. He has lined up at third base, first base and left field over the course of his seven-year career but does not play any of them particularly well.

Acquired last year at the trade deadline for a package including Darin Ruf (who is a comparable player to Davis), he hit well on his new club in a 49-game showing (eight home runs, 140 OPS+) but remained without a solid defensive home.

During the current season, Davis has made three appearances; two at third base and one at first. He is a guy who can also spend time at designated hitter on days Joc Pederson either has off or plays first/outfield, so there are at-bats to be had for Davis. The main issue, if there was one, is that Davis and Wilmer Flores are essentially the exact same player.

For the Giants, it depends on how long you're comfortable rostering two slow, power-hitting corner infielders who have virtually identical offensive profiles. One would think that at some point down the line, there becomes a need for some additional roster flexibility with one of these bench spots.

Davis is a solid hitter who has performed well on offense wherever he's played. He is not a free agent until the conclusion of next season and does have two minor league options left, so a demotion could be in the cards for him if he's the one the Giants choose to cut loose.

3 SF Giants players who made the Opening Day roster but won't finish the year on it

2. Utilityman Matt Beaty

Beaty, 29, was acquired from the Giants at virtually the last second before Opening Day. Young outfielder Bryce Johnson appeared to have made the roster before the club pivoted and acquired Beaty from the Royals.

At this point in his career, Beaty is a well-traveled veteran who has shown promise over the years, but he may not have a spot on this current roster for long. Over the course of his five-year career, he's spent time with two NL West rivals, the Dodgers and the Padres.

In 262 career games, the left-hander has 18 home runs and 92 RBI with an OPS+ of 93. He's had his fair share of ups and downs over the years.

On defense, Beaty plays all four corners on the field; first base, third base, left field and right field. While he is not an above-average defender at any particular position, he can hold his own wherever he lines up, which is a plus.

The main thing keeping Beaty from being a long-term piece to the puzzle for the Giants is the fact that he is too similar to multiple other players on the roster. David Villar, Thairo Estrada and Wilmer Flores are all multi-positional, not to mention other minor leaguers on the 40-man including Brett Wisely and Isan Díaz. Beaty just does not offer a skillset the Giants can't find elsewhere.

However, he does have one more minor league option, so the Giants would not necessarily have to pass him through waivers before optioning him. I believe Beaty is more likely to finish the year in Triple-A than he is to finish it on the big league bench.

3. Catcher/corner outfielder Blake Sabol

Sabol, 25, has been a feel-good story for the Giants early on in the season, but he is not a guarantee to spend the entire year on the active roster. He swings it from the left side and has displayed some impressive power throughout his minor league career, so his bat is not the question.

On defense, Sabol is a catcher who has also spent considerable time in the corner outfield, mainly in left field, where his decent but uninspiring throwing arm is not as exposed as it is in right field. He has been known to grade poorly behind the plate, but has been putting in a ton of work to improve his craft at catcher, so there's a chance he has what it takes to stick on the roster.

The fact that he's a Rule 5 Draft pick is what makes this a tough call. Since he is a R5 selection, Sabol must spend the entire season on the Giants' active roster, or the club will have to offer him back to the team they selected him from.

Rule 5 Draft picks are always finicky. If the Giants choose to keep him around, they'd essentially be going with a three catcher rotation, which few teams can comfortably pull off down the stretch of any given season. With Joey Bart struggling with consistency, Sabol has a path to sticking around, but if the former is able to right the ship, the latter seems to be the odd man out in the catcher picture.