Giants notes: Luciano, youngsters getting extended MLB look originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – When the Giants lost Nick Ahmed to a wrist injury, there were two young options waiting in Triple-A. They initially selected Casey Schmitt, and while explaining the move, manager Bob Melvin said the front office wanted Marco Luciano to continue playing every day. Luciano will now do that at the big league level.
It looked like Luciano would be the one sent back when Jorge Soler returned, but instead the Giants sent Schmitt to Triple-A. He played good defense in six appearances but was 3-for-22 at the plate, so it was Luciano who started Friday and it appears he will be the shortstop until Ahmed returns.
“We think this is a good time to bring him out and give him an opportunity at this job,” president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said before Friday’s win over the Colorado Rockies.
Luciano went 1-for-4 in his first start, striking out twice before dropping a soft single into right field in the seventh for his first career RBI. He was never really tested defensively, although he nearly threw away one ball on a routine grounder to short. The Giants have continued to work with Luciano on his defense and Melvin said they have seen growth.
“He put a lot of work into it, a lot of work,” he said. “At some point, when he’s here, he’s going to play shortstop. He’s the shortstop of the future here, he’s a guy who played the most shortstop there (in Triple-A). We’ve got it together with Casey for a few days and Casey has done well, but when Marco is here, Marco is going to play shortstop.”
Ahmed got the job in the spring and is eligible to come off the IL this weekend, but he doesn’t seem close. He has kept his arm in shape with throwing exercises, but still wears a brace on his left wrist.
That should provide a nice runway for Luciano, who had a .743 OPS in Triple-A at the time of his promotion. The 22-year-old has improved his plate discipline, although he hit just one home run in 128 at-bats in Triple-A. Zaidi said he isn’t concerned about the lack of pop for a prospect who has always considered that his best instrument.
“The home runs, he has so much power that that will happen,” he said.
To come closer?
There was no relaxation on the day off for Patrick Bailey. He flew to Pittsburgh to see Dr. Featuring Mickey Collins, considered the nation’s top concussion specialist and who previously helped the Giants with Brandon Belt, Joe Panik and others. Dr. Collins was pleased with Bailey’s progress and cleared him to resume full baseball activities this weekend.
The trip was a long one, especially considering the Giants visit the Pirates next week. But Bailey is their most important player and they need him back in the lineup, and Thursday’s visit will allow them to safely step him back up.
Bailey will be eligible to come off the IL on Sunday, although the Giants said he will be re-evaluated next week, so the road trip seems more likely. Blake Sabol started behind the plate on Friday and Curt Casali on Saturday.
Not that close
Austin Slater also has a concussion and will begin light baseball work this weekend, but Melvin said it doesn’t appear Slater is that close to returning.
“He’s still a little foggy. Before the day off, it didn’t feel like he was much better,” Melvin said. “They need to get him doing some activity and get his heart rate up and see if he still has that cloudy feeling.” He still had that the day before yesterday.’
While Bailey will be right back in the lineup when he’s ready, things aren’t as clear cut for Slater. Heliot Ramos has played well in left field since he got his last chance and it is well past time for the Giants to take an extended look at the former first-round pick. Luis Matos isn’t going anywhere either.
Still on the radar
Another first-rounder, Hunter Bishop, is 7-for-16 since moving up to Triple-A earlier this week. He has an inside-the-park homer and a traditional homer, and on Friday he smoked a 110-mph double and 105-mph single.
Bishop had just a .672 OPS at the time of his promotion and the move was made because the Giants were out of Triple-A outfielders after the big league roster needed so many reinforcements. But Zaidi said Bishop’s at-bats in Double-A were good and the organization wanted to reward a player who worked hard to come back from Tommy John surgery. Given a surprising opportunity in Triple-A, Bishop is thriving.
“He doesn’t seem interested in going back,” Zaidi said, smiling.
The 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft isn’t even in the top 30 of Giants prospect lists anymore due to all the injuries, but he’s still only 25. It would be a great story if he could keep it up.
One more move
Optioning Schmitt freed up one roster spot and the Giants made room for Mason Black by putting Keaton Winn on the IL. Winn was left out of his last start and an MRI later revealed a mild forearm strain, but the Giants believe they survived a scare.
Zaidi said the injury is so minor that it was actually a tough decision to put Winn on the IL. They feel he will be ready to pitch in about ten days, but since Winn will have an innings limit this season, they decided to play it safe and give him a breather.
Like Black, Winn has struggled lately, but he should return to a rotation spot. Alex Cobb is now eligible to return from the IL before Winn, but he still hasn’t been cleared for a rehab assignment, and it doesn’t appear he’s that close.
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