SF Giants cut ties with veteran shortstop to make room for returning players

The SF Giants designated shortstop Nick Ahmed for assignment on Tuesday to make some room for Wilmer Flores and Thairo Estrada's return to the roster. The move will definitely open things up at shortstop.

SF Giants cut ties with veteran shortstop to make room for returning players

With several players due to retrun from injury, a roster crunch for the Giants was imminent. That is why the team traded Austin Slater to the Reds and it is why the Giants have now parted ways with Nick Ahmed.

The Giants acquired Ahmed in Spring Training as an insurance policy at shortstop. With Marco Luciano being treated as the favorite, Ahmed was there as a steady veteran presence in case Luciano did not look ready.

Luciano did not look ready and got injured which opened the door for Ahmed to claim the starting shortstop role which is exactly what he did by hitting well and showing off his solid defense. He was not an exciting option, but he was a known quantity to start the year.

Ahmed was pretty much exactly as advertised for the Giants. He was a below-average hitter and an above-average defender which made him a supremely average player that was expendable when push came to shove.

He became even more expendable thanks to the play of Brett Wisely and Tyler Fitzgerald so far. Both Wisely and Fitzgerald have proven that they can handle the shortstop position well and both have done enough on offense to warrant having them in the lineup. Tuesday night's win over the Blue Jays was the perfect example of that as both players were instrumental in the 9th inning comeback that made for an exciting walk-off win.

As of right now, it appears that the Giants may go with a platoon at shortstop with Wisely starting against right-handed pitchers and Fitzgerald against southpaws. Of course, this could change quickly if one of them gets very hot with the bat to the point where it is tough to take them out of the lineup.

We will see how long this lasts, but for now the Giants are letting their young players play. It makes it exciting to see new, young talent make their way in the big leagues and gain more confidence with each game. Ahmed served his purpose with the Giants as a bridge to youth, but right now it is not the youth that was expected.