Versatile SF Giants utility bat facing uphill battle to make the club

On Monday, Tyler Fitzgerald launched his first home run of the spring. It was one of the few bright spots for the versatile SF Giants middle infielder this spring, and he is still facing an uphill battle to make the club.

Versatile SF Giants utility bat facing uphill battle to make the club

The odds of Fitzgerald making the team in the offseason were not that bad. If he put together a strong spring, there was a good chance that he would make the club.

The Luis Arráez signing pushed every utility infielder down one spot on the depth chart. It shifted Casey Schmitt from a starter’s role to more of a reserve position. Christian Koss’ role may not have changed all that much, given how versatile he is. 

That said, there is some redundancy between Schmitt and Koss. Both are right-handed-hitting infielders. They have some differences in their profile. Koss is better defensively up the middle, and Schmitt is a stronger defender at third base. Koss has a bit of experience in the outfield, which they may need to leverage early in the year, depending on who they go with as their fourth outfielder. 

Schmitt hits with more power, and Koss had a knack for hitters with runners in scoring position last year. There is a different role for each player. What is unknown is how Tony Vitello plans to use the bench. That was not something that Bob Melvin leveraged all that much during his two-year run with San Francisco.

On the outskirts of this competition is Tyler Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald had a breakout season in 2024, but struggled to maintain that momentum last year. In 2025, he posted a .606 OPS with four home runs and 14 RBI in 243 plate appearances.

The 28-year-old infielder began last season as the everyday second baseman but was later supplanted by Schmitt. The Giants did use Fitzgerald in the outfield late in the year.

Having major league experience in the outfield might give Fitzgerald a leg up over Schmitt and Koss in terms of versatility. The Giants continue to explore that as an option for Fitzgerald. 

The young infielder will need to hit more to get back into the completion. So far, he has posted a .538 OPS with one home run and six RBI in 26 plate appearances. He also has not shown off his speed, as he has not attempted to steal a base yet.