Hot-hitting SF Giants third baseman scratched again in series finale vs. White Sox

UPDATE: Casey Schmitt has been scratched yet again according to Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle. A previous version of this article was written when it was announced he would be in the lineup.

The SF Giants got some bad news on Sunday as it was announced that hot-hitting third baseman Casey Schmitt was scratched from the lineup yet again for the series finale against the Chicago White Sox.

Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle shared the team's lineup on social media before the scratch and Schmitt was slated to bat seventh in the order and play third base.

Casey Schmitt scratched again for SF Giants in series finale vs. White Sox

Now, with Schmitt out of the lineup it looks like Christian Koss will be playing third base and batting seventh and Brett Wisely will be playing second base and batting ninth.

The same thing happened yesterday as it was also announced that Schmitt would be in the lineup on Saturday but he was scratched late as he was still feeling the effects of the wrist injury he suffered after getting hit by a pitch against the Miami Marlins.

It was a shame that Schmitt got injured when he did because he was swinging a very hot bat recently. In his last seven games his batting average is over .400 and on the season he is slashing .276/.360/.439 with four home runs and 15 runs driven in.

The reason Schmitt had gotten so much playing time as of late prior to his injury is because San Francisco's everyday third baseman, Matt Chapman, has been on the IL with a hand injury. There have been some positive updates with Chapman as of late so the hope is he can return before the All-Star break.

When he does return, it is going to be tough to keep Schmitt out of the lineup. Fortunately, the Giants have a fairly simple solution: shift Schmitt over to second base. With Tyler Fitzgerald's struggles earning him a demotion to Triple-A, second base is now up for grabs.

Schmitt is by far the best option the Giants have to plug in at second base when everyone is healthy. Christian Koss has been respectable, but he lacks the power that Schmitt brings to the table. Then there is Brett Wisely but, oh, sorry, he just got picked off again as I was typing this sentence so he may not be around too much longer.

The Giants offense needs to get going in a very bad way. The team got shut out on Saturday against a White Sox team that has lost 56 games this season. That is simply unacceptable. It would have been nice to have Schmitt in the lineup to see if he could provide a spark, but alas it is better to be cautious. Let's hope he can get back on the field soon.