Young SF Giants outfielder has scary moment vs. Mariners but seems to be okay

The SF Giants took on the Seattle Mariners in Cactus League play on Wednesday night and there was a scary moment as outfielder Luis Matos got hit in the head by a pitch while he was at the plate in the bottom of the second inning.

It was a fastball straight to the dome and Matos immediately went down to the ground. Thankfully, he got up and was able to head down to first and remained in the game. The pitch that hit him can be viewed below:

Luis Matos seems to be okay after getting drilled in the head

That sort of thing is the absolute last thing you want to see in spring training. Guys are just trying to get their reps in so seeing a guy get beaned right in the dome is just terrible. It's a bit surprising that the Giants didn't pull Matos from the game just to be safe, but from his perspective he is a guy trying to make the team so every single at-bat matters.

To his credit, in his second at-bat he laced a single to the opposite field so he seems to be just fine.

Matos has had a pretty good audition so far in spring training. Entering Wednesday's game he has recorded six hits in 16 at-bats including two doubles and a home run. The 24-year-old entered spring training knowing his time with the Giants was at a crossroads and thus far he's done exactly what he needs to do.

He is out of minor league options so the Giants probably want to put him on the Opening Day roster just so they don't have to expose him to waivers where he could be claimed by another team.

Still, if he had a really bad spring the Giants have no shortage of options to take his place on the roster. Probably four guys are competing for a spot or two on the bench. That group includes Drew Gilbert, who is currently dealing with a shoulder injury, Will Brennan, Grant McCray, and Jerar Encarnacion who is also out of minor league options.

With so many options, it was easy to think that Matos could be the odd man out. He was demoted late last year which really made it seem like his days with the Giants were numbered.

So far, he is playing like a guy who wants to make the team so if he keeps it up it would not be a shock if he is on the Opening Day roster.