With rosters set to shrink, San Francisco Giants have tough calls to make in the infield
When the Giants opened the season in Los Angeles on July 23, first-year manager Gabe Kapler was expecting corner infielder Pablo Sandoval and utility man Mauricio Dubón to play significant roles for the club.
Sandoval batted third and played first base on Opening Night while Dubón hit in the sixth slot in the order and moved from second base to shortstop late in the team’s 8-1 loss to the Dodgers.
Fewer than two weeks into the season, Sandoval and Dubón have had their playing time slashed, but both players are back in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies.
Sandoval has been relegated to pinch-hit duties for much of the last week as he’s off to a 2-for-22 start at the plate. Dubón, who was expected to be a regular starter at second base, shortstop and center field, is making his first appearance in the lineup since Friday’s 9-2 win over the Rangers.
“We’ve asked a lot of (Dubón), but I think all of our players around the league are adjusting to a new baseball world that nobody has ever experienced,” Kapler said. “Layered onto that for Mauricio is that he’s ultra-competitive, he puts pressure on himself, he’s trying to establish himself as a major league player which is still a work in progress.”
Kapler said Sandoval has spent considerable time working in the batting cage at Coors Field over the last two days with hitting coaches Donnie Ecker, Dustin Lind and Justin Viele to engage the lower half of his body with his swing. The switch-hitter has been caught on his front foot too often this season, leading to softer contact and fewer line drives.
Kapler thought Sandoval’s pinch-hit plate appearance in Monday’s 7-6 loss to the Rockies was encouraging and with 4-for-8 lifetime numbers against Colorado starter German Márquez, Sandoval will be the designated hitter and bat fifth on Tuesday.
Dubón will start at second base Tuesday as one of the hottest hitters in the majors, Donovan Solano, gets a rare night off. On Opening Night in Los Angeles, the Giants thought it was Solano who would be ticketed for a part-time role and only play against left-handers, but the Colombia native has been so productive against righties this season it’s made no sense for Kapler to keep him on the bench.
“I think (Dubón) needed to reset mentally,” Kapler said. “There’s no physical reason why Mauricio hasn’t been in the lineup. This was an opportunity for him to take a blow.”
The Giants will face challenging roster decisions later this week when rosters downsize from 30 to 28 players on Thursday. It would be difficult for the team to maintain flexibility with lineup decisions if it drops two position players from the roster, but the Giants’ pitching staff could come out of a four-game set at Coors Field exhausted and needing to maximize its depth heading into the final six games of a tough road trip.
The Giants currently have 15 position players and 15 pitchers, including seven left-handers, on their 30-man roster.
It’s expected the Giants will drop at least one position player from their roster Thursday and Dubón, Sandoval and outfielder Steven Duggar appear to be the most logical candidates. The Giants can option Dubón and Duggar to their alternate site, but parting ways with Sandoval would either require the club to designate him for assignment or require Sandoval to accept an assignment to the alternate site in Sacramento.
Teams typically give longer leashes to veteran players, so Sandoval could help his chances of sticking around with a strong performance against Márquez and the Rockies on Tuesday.
Yolmer Sánchez on the mend
Decisions surrounding trimming the roster are expected to become increasingly difficult when minor league free agent Yolmer Sánchez proves he’s ready to join the major league club. Sánchez is dealing with back tightness that kept him off the team’s initial 30-man roster, but he could be involved in simulated games as soon as this weekend at the Sacramento alternate site.
The Giants, who have committed a National League-worst 13 errors, could use the 2019 American League Gold Glove Award winner at second base to improve a defense that’s been unexpectedly sloppy so far.
Kapler mentioned left-handed reliever Jarlín García is also progressing well as he threw to hitters for the first time Tuesday. García was a late arrival to the Giants’ summer camp as he was placed on the injured list for undisclosed medical reasons, but it appears he could be rejoining the club within the next seven-to-10 days.
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