SF Giants make surprise move in removing popular infielder from 40-man roster

In a bit of a surprise, Thairo Estrada's tenure with the SF Giants could be over. On Friday, the popular infielder was outrighted to Sacramento. In a corresponding move, Brett Wisely was recalled, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants make surprise move in removing popular infielder from 40-man roster

Earlier this week, the Giants placed a trio of veteran players on irrevocable waivers, including Estrada. Taylor Rogers and Tyler Matzek were the other two players moved to waivers as well. Both Estrada and Matzek went unclaimed with the latter being released by the club on Friday.

The Giants did not need to make a move with Estrada. They could have kept him on the roster through the end of the year even if they were planning to go in a different direction in the offseason. Perhaps, this is now an open tryout for Wisely, Casey Schmitt, or even Cavan Biggion for a spot on next year's roster.

It is a rather unceremonious end to Estrada's tenure with San Francisco. He had become one of the more popular players among Giants fans in recent seasons while taking home the Willie Mac Award in 2023. He even helped the Giants recruit Jorge Soler in the offseason.

The club acquired in a trade with the New York Yankees early in the 2021 season. Given how aggressively the front office has pursued moves around the margins, this trade did not receive that much attention. However, he became a mainstay with the Giants by the end of that season after posting an .813 OPS with seven home runs and 22 RBI in 132 plate appearances.

Over the next several seasons, the right-handed bat would become one of the team's better position players. Perhaps, his best season at the plate came in 2022 where he slashed .260/.322/.400 (106 wRC+) with 14 home runs, 62 RBI, and 71 runs in 541 plate appearances. That type of production will keep you in the lineup.

However, Estrada has battled hand and wrist ailments over the past couple of years that likely affected his production at the plate. Since the beginning of July 2023, Estrada has struggled to the tune of a .625. This included a 2024 campaign in which he registered a .217 batting average and a .241 on-base percentage.

While an excellent defensive second baseman, it is just tough to justify a spot in the lineup for someone who cannot reach base at least 30 percent of the time. Estrada was well below that mark this season.

Giants second basemen have struggled to get any meaningful offensive production over the past two seasons with Estrada being the primary contributor to that. Unfortunately, a change was needed and this might be the first change of many coming.