Why it is risky for SF Giants to play veteran first baseman in the outfield

SF Giants veteran LaMonte Wade Jr. is typically thought of as a first baseman, but he has expressed a willingness to play more in the outfield in 2025. That could be a risky endeavor for the Giants given his injury history.

In a recent article by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required), she notes that Wade's legs and lower body are much stronger coming into this season. Wade made it a point of emphasis to strengthen his lower half coming into 2025 when injuries kept him on the shelf and limited his power in 2024.

Wade also believes his stronger lower half could allow him to play more in the outfield in 2025. We have seen Wade play out there before, but the amount of time he has seen in the outfield has dropped with each year he has been on the Giants.

SF Giants would be taking a gamble by playing Wade in the outfield

It is great to hear Wade offer to play in the outfield and it is always good to have a player you can move around the diamond a bit, but the Giants would be wise to limit the amount of time Wade sees in the outfield. Given the veteran's injury history, they could be putting him at greater risk of injuring himself than if they had him solely playing first base.

We know how valuable Wade is with his ability to get on base at a high clip. That could motivate manager Bob Melvin to get creative to keep him in the lineup especially since he has said he likes having Wade bat leadoff. But if the Giants get too aggressive with trying to keep Wade's bat in the lineup, they may end up pushing him too hard which could result in an injury.

The Giants would be wise to have Wade play first base and serve as a designated hitter primarily. Those are much less physically demanding positions than the outfield and would allow the Giants to preserve Wade throughout the season.

Plus, Wade is a solid defensive first baseman. Given his lack of speed, he is really only an average outfielder at best. We know the Giants want to be strong defensively, but by playing Wade at a corner outfield spot they would have a weak link in the outfield.

Of course, injuries in the outfield could arise which may force the team's hand to have to get creative and put Wade out there more. But if they can help it, they should really try to limit the amount of time in the outfield Wade will see because he is a valuable member of the lineup and the Giants cannot afford to lose their table-setter for an extended period of time.