SF Giants next 40-man roster move likely to thin out roster surplus

The SF Giants will need to make a roster move in the coming days to bring back Luis González

(back) from the 60-day injured list. To create space on the 40-man roster, they will likely need to thin out the crop of middle infielders.

SF Giants next 40-man roster move likely to thin out roster surplus

Since Thairo Estrada landed on the injured list on July 3, the Giants have tried out a bunch of players at second base, including David Villar, Brett Wisely, and Isan Díaz. They added another middle infielder in Mark Mathias in a trade from the Seattle Mariners earlier this week. Even Marco Luciano has begun seeing reps at second base.

Estrada is set to return from a hand fracture soon enough and has already begun a rehab assignment. Rehab assignments used to be a longer process, but the process has been shortened in recent years to the point where a player is ready after a game or two. The 27-year-old infielder could even return this weekend as he has appeared in three games for the Sacramento River Cats.

This is good news for the Giants as the lineup definitely misses his contributions at the plate. When he does return, it will push everyone down the depth chart, which will create a bit of a logjam. Of course, Luciano is excluded from this as he is considered one of the best prospects in baseball.

However, this creates a situation where the Giants have Villar, Wisely, Mathias, and Díaz on the 40-man roster. Wisely and Díaz fill the role of the left-handed-hitting infielder, whereas Mathias and Villar fill the role of the right-handed-hitting infielder.

That is a lot of options, but none of the four have exactly made a claim for sticking on the roster. In fairness to Mathias, he was just traded to the Giants, so he has not had much of an opportunity to do so.

The Giants have seen a lot of Wisely, who has struggled to the tune of a .497 OPS in 2023. He has done a nice job at second base and learning center field. Villar has posted a .550 OPS after beginning the year as the Opening Day third baseman. And, Díaz has looked overmatched in his brief showing at the plate this year while making some nice plays in the field.

It is hard to ignore that there are a lot of options but none of the four offer any type of track record. The situation becomes more complicated with Luciano learning second base as well. If he can handle it, he is going to see time. The rest of the crop has had a chance, but nothing to show for it.

So, as the Giants prepare to activate Luis González from the injured list soon enough, it is likely going to be at the expense of one of the underperforming middle infielders. Of course, the Giants could throw us a curveball by moving someone like Anthony DeSclafani to the 60-day injured list.