What do the SF Giants do with a power-hitting bat in 2025?

Jerar Encarnación had some promising moments with the SF Giants in 2024. Given his lack of defensive versatility and inconsistent track record, what does the club plan to do with him in 2025?

What do the SF Giants do with a power-hitting bat in 2025?

Oddly enough, Encarnación has already exhausted all three of his minor league options. The Miami Marlins added him to the 40-man roster after 2020 and he burned an option year in each of the next three seasons.

The Marlins outrighted Encarnación off of the 40-man roster midway through the 2023 season and he became a free agent last winter. During his time with the Marlins, he only received one extended look with the club where he struggled to the tune of a .548 OPS with three home runs and 14 RBI in 81 plate appearances in 2022.

The right-handed bat did not have the best numbers as he climbed the minor league ladder. When he did perform, it was generally due to being one of the older players in the league. When factoring this with his major league production up until this point, Encarnación struggled to find another opportunity with a major league team last year.

The 26-year-old began the season in the Mexican League before joining the Giants on a minor league deal. He breezed through Triple-A and earned a promotion with the big league club in August.

Despite sporadic playing time, Encarnación did a nice job at staying ready and flashed some impressive power. In 119 plate appearances, he registered a .248/.277/.425 line (94 wRC+) with five home runs, 19 RBI, and 13 runs. This includes a 4.2 percent walk rate, 28.6 percent strikeout rate, and .177 ISO.

The strikeout rate is certainly high and he will need to offset that with more power. Despite this, he did flash impressive bat speed. Perhaps, the Giants feel like he has the type of raw power that they can translate to game power with a mechanical tweak. Not surprisingly, he posted an excellent 95-MPH average exit velocity and 15 percent barrel rate. Both marks are well above average.

Encarnación's expected stats are much more promising than his overall stat line. There is reason to believe that he is a better hitter than what he showed, but the numbers are what they are at the end of the day.

There are certainly wrinkles in the righty bat's profile as well. His 4.2 percent walk rate and sub-.300 on-base percentage make it tough to envision him as an everyday player. Plus, the reason his bat speed did not translate to better power numbers is because of a 48.8 percent ground ball rate, which is above the league average rate of 42.2 percent. He made hard contact, but much of it was into the ground.

In addition to this, Encarnación is a below-average runner and is limited defensively to first base and left field. While his raw power could profile at those positions, his topline stats paint a different picture.

In some ways, Encarnación's fit for the Giants feels like jamming a square peg into a round hole. He has offensive upside, but that did not translate consistently enough in 2024. Without any options remaining, the Giants may need to weigh whether it even makes sense to carry him on the 40-man roster this offseason.