SF Giants GM not ready to pull the plug on struggling power bat just yet

SF Giants power bat Jerar Encarnación has struggled since returning from the injured list, recording one hit in 17 at-bats. However, general manager Zack Minasian believes that Encarnación is rusty after missing the first six weeks and not ready to make a move just yet.

SF Giants GM not ready to pull the plug on struggling power bat just yet

Minasian joined the Murph and Markus Show on KNBR on Thursday morning. He was asked what to make of Encarnación's slow start so far, and the Giants general manager pointed to the veteran bat's strong spring as a reason for patience.

"I personally thought Jerar [Encarnación] was outstanding in spring training. Breaks a finger. Misses six weeks. Goes on a rehab assignment. Some of this is, in my opinion, is Jerar having to work some rust off... There's only so much time to work rust off, unfortunately, but we want to give him an opportunity."

Zack Minasian

There are certainly a few layers to what Minasian said. Obviously, it bears mentioning that he is right in that Encarnación looks rusty at the plate. He did begin a rehab assignment in early May, but that was halted, as the right-handed bat dealt with some discomfort in his surgically-repaired hand.

Encarnación resumed his rehab assignment in the final week of May and recorded 20 plate appearances with the Sacramento River Cats after that. Given the nature of the injury, he had a decent sample size for a rehab assignment. If a player misses all of spring training due to an injury, teams usually want a longer rehab assignment. That said, Encarnación sustained the injury in the final week of camp. Rehab assignments for position players generally do not last longer than 20 or 30 plate appearances.

When the 27-year-old was nearing a return, it did look like he would see considerable time at first base given LaMonte Wade Jr.'s struggles. However, that role seemingly disappeared overnight with the addition of Dominic Smith.

Smith has a .719 OPS across nine major league seasons. If he had just replicated that number, it would have represented a substantial improvement over what the Giants got at first base earlier in the year. He has been even better than that while playing a clean first base.

This has left Encarnación without much of a role, and the Giants are likely hesitant to put him back in the field after making a bad error in a game during the Colorado Rockies series. That would limit him to just DH opportunities if that turns out to be true. Encarnación does not have much of a track record offensively, so the leash is pretty short. He will need to find a groove quickly to stick with the team.