The Giants fielded a shortstop Nick Ahmed on the 10-day injured list yesterday, as Ahmed is dealing with problems with his left wrist. Injuries have plagued the midfielder”for a while now,” as Ahmed told MLB.com and other media on Thursday, when he had to exit San Francisco's game against Colorado early.
“I got a lot of treatment and stuff before the game and it was good to go to the game,” said Ahmed. “And then in the first turn of the game, I just stepped it up. It was interfering with my ability to play defense, too. It would probably do more harm to our team than good if I stayed out.”
The issue appears minor enough that Ahmed is not expected to miss much more than the average 10 days, with the caveat that wrist-related injuries can sometimes persist (as Ahmed did before Thursday's game). Of course, even 10 days is a significant amount of time for a club to be without its starting shortstop. After signing a minor league contract with San Francisco during the offseason, Ahmed has started 35 of 40 games for the Giants, bringing his usual combination of stout defense and uninspiring offense. Ahmed hit just .236/.274/.291 over his first 119 plate appearances, which translates to a 66 wRC+.
This lack of pop has led some Giants fans to wonder why people would be so loud Marco Luciano he hasn't been given much time to look at the MLB level, although Luciano didn't help his case with a comfortable spring training. Luciano made his big league debut in 14 games and 45 PA last season, and so far has hit .273/.403/.355 over 149 Triple-A plate appearances through 2024 . Luciano's OBP and walk rate are great. signs of progress, although he has slightly reduced his high-strikeout rate, and has shown very little power even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Luciano may not be too far from another phone, even if it's a teammate Casey Schmitt received a call on Friday to replace Ahmed from the active roster. Manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that Schmitt may have gotten the nod because the Giants were facing starting lefties on Friday and Saturday. Although Luciano and Schmitt are both right fielders, Schmitt has the better numbers against the rest of Triple-A this season.
In general, the team is open to all options with Ahmed out, as Melvin admitted “I'm not sure what [the shortstop position is] it will look like it's here every day.” Utilityman Tyler Fitzgerald he's the only other player besides Ahmed and Schmitt to see any time at shortstop this season, and Fitzgerald hit a solid .273/.319/.455 in 47 PA while pitching all over the diamond. The Giants may prefer to keep Fitzgerald available to step into multiple positions rather than make him a regular shortstop with Ahmed out, which could open the door for Schmitt to get more work, or Luciano to possibly enter the picture.
Elsewhere in the injury zone, today marks Patrick BaileyIt's day seven of IL's seven-day concussion-related layoff, and the Giants are hoping they can get some relief before tonight's game against the Reds. Bailey took a foul ball out of the mask on May 3, but has since resumed baseball activities, including catching. Blake SnellBullpen session on Friday. Slusser writes that Bailey will be taking precautions to wear a new style of mask, with additional attachments and a hockey mask-like design.
Getting their starting pitcher back is a nice win for the Giants, however another position player could replace Bailey on the concussion IL. Austin Slater collided with the wall while trying to catch the first inning of yesterday's game, his place was taken by the hitter before his first at-bat.
Melvin told reporters after the game that Slater is likely headed to the IL, the latest twist in what has been a rough start to the season for the outfielder. Slater hit just .128/.306/.128 in 49 PA while working in his usual position as a left fielder, which is a far cry from his career .278/.370/.447 slash line against southpaws. Either it's just a small sample size problem so far, or Slater's main concern now is getting healthy.
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