What do the SF Giants do with Drew Gilbert and Harrison Bader in center field?

Harrison Bader was activated from the injured list and returned to the lineup for the SF Giants in a 9 - 3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night. What do they now do with Bader and Drew Gilbert in center field?

What do the SF Giants do with Drew Gilbert and Harrison Bader in center field?

The answer might frustrate fans, but the Giants are not going to pull back on Bader's playing time after a couple of rough weeks at the plate to start the year. They hope that the hamstring strain that he sustained in spring training is now in the rearview mirror.

Bader is in the first year of a two-year deal that he signed back in January. The early returns have not been great, as he has struggled to a .361 OPS with one home run and three RBI in 60 plate appearances. The Giants signed him for defense. Bader has been an elite defensive center fielder since his major league debut in 2017.

The right-handed bat has generally put up passable production at the plate. This includes a career year last year, where he posted a .796 OPS with 17 home runs and 54 RBI in 501 plate appearance split between the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies.

There were plenty of regression indicators, including an unsustainable .359 babip. If the Giants expected him to replicate those numbers, that might be an error in judgment. However, they needed to improve an outfield defense that ranked as the worst in baseball last year, and Bader checks that box. Through more than 40 games so far, outfield defense has not been much of a topic.

While Bader was out, Gilbert filled in capably at center field. Overall, he has a .634 OPS with two home runs and seven RBI in 72 plate appearances. This includes 15 hitless plate appearances against left-handed pitching. On the other hand, he has a respectable .800 OPS against right-handed pitching in 57 plate appearances.

That is likely a sign that Gilbert is best suited for a platoon role. The strong side of the platoon can lead to a lot of playing time for any club.

Bader has better splits against left-handed pitching, with a .761 OPS. On paper, they could form a nice timeshare in center field, but there is also a roster dynamic at play. The Giants invested $20 million into Bader in the offseason to help improve the defense. They will likely not pigeonhole him into a weak-side platoon because they paid him a lot of money, and that is a tough role to fill in the first place.

Now that the veteran outfielder has returned, he will see the majority of the playing time in center field for the time being. If the Giants are facing a tough righty, it might make sense to insert Gilbert into the lineup.

Bader has often profiled as a fourth outfielder for much of his career. He could finish his Giants tenure in that role. For now, they are counting on Bader's numbers to improve and he will see regular playing time to make that happen.

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