Young SF Giants outfielder making final push to stick with the club

Luis Matos entered this spring without any minor league options remaining, so he will be put on waivers if he does not make the club. To his credit, the young SF Giants outfielder is making a final push to stick.

Young SF Giants outfielder making final push to stick with the club

What role would Matos assume? It would almost certainly be as a fourth outfielder. The Giants have their everyday outfield alignment, including Jung Hoo Lee, Harrison Bader, and Heliot Ramos.

Given that Matos, Ramos, and Bader hit from the right side, there may not be a lot of at-bats available in left field or center field. Perhaps, the Giants could use the DH as a chance to give someone like Ramos a day off from the field.

That 2026 role remains to be seen. The first step for Matos will be to make the club, and then his role will depend on how he performs.

The right-handed bat is off to a strong start this spring, putting up a 1.037 OPS with one home run and two RBI in 16 at-bats. He also has not struck out yet, and that skill fits what the front office likes in a hitter.

The Giants have a healthy sample from Matos to evaluate. He has posted a .650 OPS with a 6.1 percent walk rate, 14.2 percent strikeout rate, and .138 ISO in 593 plate appearances across three seasons with San Francisco. His best year came in 2025, when he recorded a .691 OPS with eight home runs and 22 RBI in 184 plate appearances. The results have not been all that promising, even if the playing time has been sporadic.

A strong, two-week stretch in August helped Matos' overall numbers, but he was optioned before the season concluded. That seemed to indicate how the club viewed Matos at that point, which was not a favorable one. The addition of Harrison Bader clouded Matos' role with the club even further.

That said, it is a new year and Matos is just trying to make the team. The fact that he has no minor league options might be in his favor, as teams do not like to trim organizational depth to start the year. The baseball season is a long one. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Teams will need to lean on that depth to get them through the year.

For Matos, it is not about even getting through the year with the Giants. It is about making the team. He is hitting in the Cactus League, and the lack of roster flexibility might give him an edge in the competition.