SAN FRANCISCO -- Tyler Fitzgerald served as the Giants’ primary second baseman before being sent down to Triple-A Sacramento amid a prolonged slump in July.
With the Giants in need of another right-handed bat, Fitzgerald got a chance to return to the Majors on Tuesday, though he found himself sliding over to a new position.
Fitzgerald made his first career start in right field in the Giants’ 5-1 loss to the Padres at Oracle Park, batting eighth against left-hander Nestor Cortes in his first big league game since July 6.
Fitzgerald has some outfield experience -- he’s made 17 career appearances in center field and four in left field for the Giants -- but he knows it’ll probably take him some time to get comfortable manning right, which can be a tricky spot to play in Oracle Park due to the unpredictable bounces that balls can take off the 25-foot brick wall.
“It’s a lot to learn in a little bit of time,” Fitzgerald said before the game. “I knew this was going to be a challenge. There could be some mistakes. But I’m not going to worry about it. I’m not going to come in here and be scared. I’m just going to give it my 100 percent. Good or bad, whatever happens, I can live with it. Just go out there and try and put some good at-bats together against lefties and try to help the team.”
Fitzgerald made two starts in right field at Sacramento ahead of his callup, but he didn’t see a ton of action and predicted that he’d probably get a ball hit to him in the first inning on Tuesday. His prediction ultimately came true, as he slipped while trying to chase down a popup to shallow right field from Manny Machado, allowing the ball to fall for a two-out single against left-hander Robbie Ray.
Xander Bogaerts followed with a double off the left-field wall to put a pair of runners in scoring position against Ray, who was then called for a balk that brought in Machado from third.
The Giants tied the game on Wilmer Flores’ swinging bunt off Cortes in the bottom of the first, but the Padres pulled ahead for good on Jose Iglesias’ two-run shot off Ray the following inning. San Francisco finished with 10 hits -- including a career-high-matching four from Casey Schmitt -- but it was held to only one run for the second straight night.
The Giants (59-61) have now lost four straight and 12 of their last 13 games at Oracle Park, plating only 24 runs over that span. Heliot Ramos summed up the mounting frustration in the second inning, when he broke a bat over his knee after striking out swinging against Cortes to leave a runner stranded at first base.
“It’s just not happening,” Ramos said. “It’s just frustrating. I don’t know what to tell you, honestly.”
The Giants’ lack of offense has been a pervasive issue this year, but they’ve been particularly inept against left-handed pitching, which has held them to a Major League-worst .610 OPS in 2025.
The Giants were counting on Jerar Encarnacion to help boost their production in the second half, but the 27-year-old slugger appeared in only two games before landing back on the injured list with a right hamstring strain last week. Another right-handed-hitting outfielder, Luis Matos, was optioned to Triple-A on Aug. 4 and must spend at least 10 days in the Minors before he’ll be eligible to rejoin the Giants’ roster.
Fitzgerald should get an opportunity to platoon with rookie Drew Gilbert in right field for now, though he ended up going 0-for-2 before being subbed out for pinch-hitter Dominic Smith, who singled to load the bases and extend his hitting streak to a career-best 15 games in the sixth. Still, the Giants came away empty-handed after Padres reliever Jason Adam got Patrick Bailey and Ramos to pop out to end the inning.
To clear a spot on the 26-man roster for Fitzgerald, the Giants optioned left-hander Carson Whisenhunt to Triple-A. Whisenhunt, who is ranked the club’s No. 7 prospect per MLB Pipeline, logged a 5.02 ERA over his first three Major League starts. The 24-year-old is known for his elite changeup, but he struggled with his sinker command in his last outing on Saturday, surrendering three home runs in four innings against the Nationals.
Right-hander Landen Roupp, who has been out since July 22 with right elbow inflammation, is expected to come off the 15-day injured list and replace Whisenhunt in the Giants’ rotation on Friday. Roupp likely won’t be fully stretched out, as he threw 50 pitches over three innings in his lone rehab start with Sacramento on Sunday.