Top SF Giants infield prospect begins a rehab assignment at new position

Top infield prospect Marco Luciano began a rehab assignment with the Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday. Interestingly, he saw time at a new position as he started the game at second base.

Top SF Giants infield prospect begins a rehab assignment at new position

Luciano landed on the injured list at the end of May after sustaining a hamstring strain. He has not missed too much so it could be a relatively short rehab assignment. Of course, the big question is whether he will remain with San Francisco, but the even bigger question now is where he will play in the field.

It should be noted that Nick Ahmed restarted his own rehab assignment on Tuesday as well. He has missed over a month with a wrist sprain. Before the injury, Ahmed served as the team's starting shortstop.

The fact that Luciano played second base could just be a function of having Ahmed rehabbing at the same time. Ahmed is the superior defensive option and that is the one way he can offer value.

That said, it is hard to ignore that the top infield prospect struggled badly with the glove at shortstop during his brief time with the club. He committed five errors in nine games and many of those errors occurred at key moments during the game. Plus, the 22-year-old infielder also had seven more errors in 32 games with the River Cats before he was recalled.

Giants manager Bob Melvin tasked Luciano with improving his defense at the start of the year. Though, it is clear that there is still plenty of work that needs to be done.

Luciano has spent the bulk of his time at shortstop since becoming a pro. He did appear at second base for six games with the River Cats last season and another three games with Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League.

While Luciano struggled at shortstop with the Giants, he did impress with his bat, recording nine hits in 24 at-bats. And, there was a lot of loud contact that went with that.

A position change has been on the table for years as there have been questions about his range and consistency at a premium position. This could be a sign that the Giants are considering a position change or it could just be a one-off game. Only time will tell but where he sees playing time during his rehab assignment might be a sign of things to come.