SF Giants manager Bob Melvin highlights 2 favorites for the DH spot

The SF Giants will go with a roving DH in 2025 but a couple of players could see more time than others. Bob Melvin told Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area that Wilmer Flores and Jerar Encarnación are the two favorites to see playing time at DH.

SF Giants manager Bob Melvin highlights 2 favorites for the DH spot

The Giants will not be going with a full-time DH like they did last year. That said, Flores and Encarnación make the most sense as the primary options at that spot.

They will not be the only players to see time at DH in 2025. Melvin has hinted that he plans to use that spot to give position players a day off from the field while keeping their bat in the lineup.

Pavlovic noted that the club is trying to figure out DH, meaning there could be some sense of competition. At this point, both players are relatively one-dimensional and need to hit a lot to provide value.

The Giants did use Encarnación in the outfield and first base at the end of last season but he is a below-average fielder. Flores has seen time around the infield in recent seasons but first base and DH are the best spots for him going forward.

The veteran bat is coming off of a rough season in which he posted a .595 OPS with four home runs and 26 RBI in 242 plate appearances before undergoing a season-ending knee procedure. The injury likely affected his performance as he never looked comfortable at the plate.

This made it a relatively easy decision for Flores to opt in to his $3.5 million player option for this upcoming season. In practice, it was a mutual option, but realistically, it became a player option after the season he had.

That said, the right-handed bat is one year removed from recording an .863 OPS with 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 454 plate appearances. The Giants are hoping that he can regain that form.

On the other hand, Encarnación made a positive impression down the stretch with his elite bat speed and exit velocity readings. However, the power played down due to a suboptimal bat path, leading to too many ground balls.

Encarnación tallied a .702 OPS with five home runs and 19 RBI in 119 plate appearances. The 27-year-old hitter is out of minor league options so he will need to make the club out of camp or be placed on waivers.

If he does make the club, he will need to hit early and often to stick. Given that Flores and Encarnación hit from the right side, they are not natural platoon complements to one another. Whoever hits more in spring training will likely see the bulk of the playing time at DH to start the year.