Young SF Giants outfielder grabbing hold of right field late in season

The SF Giants do not have a ton to play for the rest of this season, but they can figure some things out going into 2026. In right field, Luis Matos seems to be grabbing hold of duties out there with the way he has been swinging the bat as of late.

Ever since the Giants traded longtime outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, who has gotten off to a good start with his new team, they have had something of an open audition in right field. Matos and Drew Gilbert have seen time out there as has Grant McCray who was just demoted, Jerar Encarnacion who got hurt again, and Tyler Fitzgerald who was demoted as well. It has seemed like the team does not really have a cohesive plan for right field.

SF Giants outfielder making a case to be right fielder for rest of season

Now that the dust has settled a little bit and the Giants have a clearer picture in the outfield, Matos has been the only player to really get hot at the plate while playing right field.

Matos has had an odd season. He began the year on the team's bench and got limited playing time. He has had some big moments like with his game-tying home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but his overall numbers are not all that impressive as he is slashing .209/.255/.450 with seven homers and 16 runs batted in.

Yet, since his most recent call-up he has been on fire. In his last seven games he is slashing .409/.458/.864 with two home runs and three runs driven in. He hit an impressive big fly in Sunday's contest against the Milwaukee Brewers.

He is a player who could definitely benefit from some consistent playing time the rest of this season. As long as he stays hot he should stay in the lineup which could allow him to establish the same sort of rhythm he had at the plate when he won NL Player of the Week honors in 2024.

It would be unlikely if Matos is the starting right fielder for the Giants on Opening Day next season as that seems like a spot they will try to upgrade in the offseason, but giving him consistent playing time the rest of this season will at least make him a more viable bench option in 2026.

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