The Giants may have lost two key position players in the span of mere moments during Tuesday night’s game against the Cardinals in Busch Stadium.
J.D. Davis, San Francisco’s everyday third baseman, rolled his right ankle while sliding awkwardly into third base. Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty’s very next pitch hit Mitch Haniger in the forearm region.
Davis tried walking off his injury, but eventually got subbed out. Haniger immediately headed to the training room.
The Giants’ roster is currently full, but injured list stints would open up space for Luis Matos, who has slugged six home runs in his last six Triple-A games — including one in the first inning of Tuesday’s River Cats game.
In a recent KNBR interview, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said that the Giants might have to make room for Matos.
“Luis Matos is playing really well,” Zaidi said. “We don’t really have a spot for him right now. And I think if he continues to produce, we may try to create one, but we’ve got a pretty deep team and a deep roster.”
The immediate questions for the Giants, though, pertain to the health of Davis and Haniger. Davis has drawn All-Star consideration by hitting 284 with an .844 OPS. His four outs above average ranks sixth among all third baseman.
Haniger, meanwhile, has struggled as a Giant. The organization is still heavily invested in the outfielder, though, since San Francisco signed him to a three-year, $43.5 million contract this winter. Haniger, who hit 39 home runs in 2021, is the highest-paid player currently on SF’s 2024 and 2025 roster.
Casey Schmitt replaced Davis at third base and Blake Sabol took Haniger’s spot in left. Those two, plus rookie catcher Patrick Bailey, could be joined by more young talent soon.