These SF Giants infielders will gain the most from Thairo Estrada waiver move

The SF Giants placed their starting second baseman Thairo Estrada on waivers. If he is claimed by another team, these three young infielders figure to see a lot of playing time at second base the rest of the year.

The move to, in all likelihood, part ways with Estrada is a slight surprise but not a huge one when you think about it. The Giants know that they will almost certainly not make the playoffs, so they figure why not save a little money while they're at it. Plus, Estrada was really struggling this year and there was a high likelihood he would not have been on next year's team anyway.

Estrada could still help a team, though. He has speed and is a very solid defender. Plus, he has shown positive signs at the plate since returning from injury so perhaps he is getting back on track with the bat.

Three young SF Giants infielders now have an opportunity at second base

If Estrada does leave, that leaves second base wide open for the Giants. There are a few routes they could go with the position. One we saw earlier this year when Estrada was injured had Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely in a platoon at second. Schmitt started against lefties and Wisely against righties. This worked decently, although neither of them hit exceptionally well in this configuration. After a solid start earlier in the year, Wisely's bat has cooled off and he has a .249 batting average and .285 on base percentage in the big leagues this year. Schmitt is not faring much better as he only has a .214 average in the big leagues although he does have 5 home runs on the year and has been impressive defensively.

Another player who could potentially see time in the role is infield prospect Marco Luciano. We should be careful and not declare that this move to get rid of Estrada is a way to clear a path for Luciano because that is what happened after the Giants traded Jorge Soler and Luciano was back in the minor leagues two weeks later.

However, giving Luciano some time at second base would be wise for the Giants. Even if he has a brick for a glove, the Giants are pretty much out of playoff contention anyway so why not let him try to work through his defensive woes at a position that is probably a little less stressful than shortstop.

At some point the Giants are going to have to see what they have in Luciano. They may as well throw him out there at the end of a lost season.

The Giants will probably give starts to all three of these players at second base the rest of the year if Estrada is claimed. All three are young players who have the potential to be key players for the Giants going forward so this opportunity at second base can serve as a sort of mini audition for all three going into 2025.