The SF Giants might only have one course of action at first base

SF Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. is off to a brutal start to the season. While the calls for him to be supplanted have grown louder, the Giants do not really have any other choice but to stick with Wade Jr. and hope he turns it around.

The SF Giants might only have one course of action at first base

The left-handed bat entered Wednesday with a .118/.253/.237 (42 wRC+) triple-slash line. He still has put up an excellent 15.2 percent walk rate, so he is making the pitcher work a little harder than what you would normally see from a hitter with a sub.-500 OPS.

The Giants might just chalk this up as a slow start. It happens to a lot of players throughout the year. The baseball season is a long one with ups and downs. It just so happens that Wade Jr.'s down stretch is occurring at the start of the year.

To some degree, that would be ignoring the slump he endured in the second half of last season. Whether it is just a slow start or a continuation of last season's finish, the Giants need more production out of their first base position.

So, where do they even look? Sure, Wilmer Flores could take some reps at first base, opening up at-bats at DH. However, who do you slot into that place?

The Giants' bench is thin with options. This includes David Villar, Sam Huff, Luis Matos, and Christian Koss. Huff might have some power upside, but the Giants likely will not use their backup catcher at DH. Interestingly, that was an option the Texas Rangers deployed over the weekend.

Both Koss and Villar seem fine in their roles. Matos could certainly benefit from more playing time, even if the at-bats are at DH. He just needs live reps. That said, it feels unlikely that the Giants will move Flores from the DH spot for now. He is hitting well, and limiting his time in the field helps to keep him in the lineup.

The Giants have some other options in Casey Schmitt and Jerar Encarnación, both of whom are on the injured list. In Triple-A, Jake Lamb is seeing the bulk of the playing time at first base, but he is not hitting in a way that would merit a promotion.

So, Wade Jr. just might be the option until either Schmitt or Encarnación returns from the injured list. The Giants were excited to see what Encarnación could do with an extended look before his injury. When he returns, the conversation could become interesting, but in the meantime, Wade Jr. will likely continue to see the majority of the reps at first base.