Veteran SF Giants player may be odd man out with Rafael Devers at first base

SF Giants slugger Rafael Devers just made his career debut at first base with the team on Tuesday. With him likely to see more time at first base going forward, it could spell trouble for veteran first baseman Dominic Smith.

It is definitely a positive development for the Giants to have Devers at first base. This has been the plan ever since he was acquired by the Giants but nagging injuries prevented him from getting out there and limited him to designated hitter duties.

Rafael Devers at first base for SF Giants could spell trouble for Dominic Smith

Having Devers as an option at first gives the Giants more flexibility in their lineup as they can now rotate different guys in the DH spot. It also seems to have helped Devers as he has been on a tear at the plate as of late.

Yet, with Devers as an option at first base that could complicate matters for Smith who has been a valuable player for the Giants this season. Smith was brought in to shake things up at first base after the team moved on from LaMonte Wade Jr.

In 31 games, Smith has slashed .250/.330/.380 with two home runs and 11 runs batted in. He has come through in big games for the Giants at the plate and he has also provided some great defense at first base.

Yet, the Giants still have Wilmer Flores on the team and he too is a player who is basically limited to first base duties at this point in his career. Flores will probably find himself in the DH spot more with Devers at first base, which leads one to wonder how much Smith will see his playing time cut.

The Giants are still easing Devers into this new position which is wise as he still nurses his injuries and tries to learn all the nuances that come with playing first base. Smith should still have a role as a guy who will occassionally start at first base, but it may get to a point where he feels a little bit redundant on the roster and may not be getting very much playing time.

Smith has experience playing the corner outfield spots in his career so the Giants could utilize him there more, but they also have Luis Matos and Jerar Encarnacion may return from injury soon so that creates another potential roster crunch.

For now, Smith still has a spot on the team but as Devers becomes more comfortable at first base that could mean less and less playing time for Smith and may eventually result in him being the odd man out.

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