SF Giants make confusing and questionable decision with latest roster move

The SF Giants made an odd roster decision on Friday. They selected the contract of Donovan Walton while optioning Luis Matos back to Triple-A according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants make confusing and questionable decision with latest roster move

The confusion did not end there as Walton was slated to start at second base against the San Diego Padres on Friday night. This meant that Marco Luciano was relegated to the bench.

I will admit that Luciano has not done enough to warrant substantial playing time. He has struggled to a .625 OPS with no home runs and three RBI in 71 plate appearances while being a below-average infielder.

The 22-year-old infielder continues to flash solid bat speed, but that plays down due to not being able to get enough lift at the point of contact.

Importantly, what is the point of going with Walton? The veteran infielder is having a nice year in Triple-A, slashing .306/.380/.441 (107 wRC+) with seven home runs, 51 RBI, and 53 runs in 387 plate appearances. Perhaps, the Giants are rewarding Walton for a solid season with the Sacramento River Cats.

That said, the Giants are well out of the playoff mix. These games mean very little except for players accumulating individual stats, and ideally, using the final month to get a better evaluation on some of your younger players.

To some extent, the Giants are doing that with players like Heliot Ramos, Patrick Bailey, and Tyler Fitzgerald in the everyday lineup. However, it still feels like a half-in, half-out approach. Again, these games mean nothing for the standings. Walton is a free agent at the end of the year, so adding him only takes at-bats away from other players on the roster. This feels like a waste of an opportunity that could be used on other players.

Of course, this move also pushes Luis Matos back to Triple-A. I can understand that move a little better. The Giants have too many options in the outfield as is and not enough playing time for Matos.

On the year, The right-handed has tallied a .592 OPS with five home runs and 25 RBI in 154 plate appearances. He has some things he needs to work on in terms of both his approach and swing mechanics, but that feels like it will need to take place in the offseason. We broke down some of his struggles here. At the very least, he will get some consistent playing time in Triple-A to work through this until the season concludes.