SF Giants have incredibly tough decision to make with backup infielders

If there’s one thing that’s not completely settled coming into spring training, it’s which infielders the SF Giants will choose to carry on their Opening Day roster.

While the signing of Luis Arraez to be the primary second baseman is a good one, the question is: who among Tyler Fitzgerald, Christian Koss, and Casey Schmitt will be the super utility guy on the Opening Day roster? Each one of them has a compelling case to make the roster, which is why it’s going to be interesting to see who wins this battle. 

The other thing that complicates this is the fact that they are all flexible with their positions, meaning it could come down to what the team feels they need most when camp ends. Let's take a look at the options.

3 SF Giants infielders battling for bench role

Tyler Fitzgerald

At the start of last year, Fitzgerald was the preferred option at second base. But an up-and-down 2025 may have him entering spring training behind where he needs to be. 

Last season, he hit a measly .217 with just 4 homers and 14 RBIs. This will not get the job done at all, and is a major reason as to why he spent a good chunk of the season at Triple-A Sacramento last year. 

However, Fitzgerald has shown the upside before. In 2024, he showed this by hitting .280 along with a nice .831 OPS. So the ability to hit is there, but it is definitely concerning to see the regression back to the small sample size of 2023 in 2025.  

One thing that helps Fitzgerald in this case is that he has played some games in the outfield. At the end of last season, he dipped his toes into this and was rewarded with some playing time over the final few weeks of the season. He’s also athletic enough to play at least the corner outfield position and spell either Helios Ramos or Jung Hoo Lee if they need an off day. The other thing that he brings is the ability to swipe bases, which is something the Giants have been lacking in a big way.

To make the roster, Fitzgerald will need to put together a good spring training to show that 2025 was a fluke. He comes into camp as the highest underdog to win this job because the other two offer help in key ways.   

Casey Schmitt

Also vying for the spot is Casey Schmitt. He comes into camp as the favorite to land the bench role. 

The main reason why he can be viewed as the favorite is that he had a solid 2025, where he showed he should be on the big league roster. Last season, he hit .237 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs. But once he got some everyday playing time, he showed his ability to make contact and drive in runs. 

His performance also saw him shoot up the lineup last season after he got hot at the plate. 

We must also remember that Schmitt was once a highly-prized prospect in the Giants' farm system, so the promise has been there for a long time.

Maybe the ace in the hole that Schmitt can lean on is the fact that he can play all over the infield. After all, he played games at every position in the infield last season. It seems that second and third are his primary positions, but he did fine filling in at shortstop and first last season.

Assuming he’s fully healthy, Schmitt should be the favorite to win this key bench role. He has both the track record and positional flexibility to be able to do so. 

Christian Koss

Finally, we have Christian Koss, who has really made a nice name for himself last season.

The thing about Koss is that he has the smallest sample size out of anyone here, which makes it hard to judge. But that could also be an argument that he needs to make the roster to see what he can do because he hasn’t had that yet.  

Last season in 74 games, he hit .264 with 3 homers and 23 RBIs. Koss also stole 4 bases and added a .607 OPS. 

There is no doubt that he will appear on the roster at some point this season, given all the injuries and things that will happen. But making the Opening Day roster is likely a tall task. 

Koss has also played every infield position but first. While flexible, this puts him behind Schmitt because he doesn’t have the extreme versatility. 

It's going to be a tough call for the Giants because, at most, they are only going to be able to carry two of these guys on the Opening Day roster. How they perform in spring training these next few weeks should determine a lot.