Uncertainty awaits once-promising SF Giants infielder after latest setback

SF Giants infielder David Villar has experienced a range of emotions in the last few months. He has just been designated for assignment by the Giants again which makes the future unclear for the once-promising player.

Villar was designated for assignment to make room for Casey Schmitt who was returning from injury. Villar was designated for assignment at the end of spring training when he did not get a roster spot with the Giants, but he cleared waivers and was sent to Sacramento.

Future is uncertain for once promising SF Giants infielder David Villar

In Sacramento, Villar got hot with the bat which earned him a call-up when Schmitt had to go on the IL with an oblique injury. However, the 28-year-old was unable to translate that to success with the Giants in limited opportunities as he had four hits in 20 at-bats.

Now, we will have to see if a team claims Villar. Teams may have been reluctant to claim Villar at the start of the regular season since they were already getting their rosters intact, but now with teams dealing with injuries they may be more willing to roll the dice on a player who has promise but who has not capitalized on his opportunities at the big league level.

At his best, Villar is a guy who has impressive power to the opposite field. He hit 36 homers between Triple-A and the majors in 2022 so he has a lot of pop in his bat, but he just has not been able to make contact enough to be a consistent threat in the lineup.

The Giants went into 2023 thinking Villar would be their starting third baseman after he showed promise in 2022, but he struggled a lot and was supplanted by J.D. Davis in the role.

Maybe a fresh start is what Villar needs to reach his full potnetial. We have seen Joey Bart blossom ever since he left the Giants so a change of scenery could allow Villar to capitalize on his talents.

Who knows, maybe Villar will clear waivers again and will stay in the Giants organization. It is unlikely, but stranger things have certainly happened.

However, this does seem like it will be the end of Villar's time with the Giants so let's hope he finds success with his next team as long as that team is not in the National League West.