This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado's Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The Giants shook up their lineup in an attempt to break out of their collective funk earlier this week. But they won’t have to wait too much longer for other potential cures for their offensive malaise to arrive.
Infielders Tyler Fitzgerald (left rib fracture) and Casey Schmitt (left oblique strain) began rehab assignments with Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, joining first baseman/outfielder Jerar Encarnacion (left hand fracture), who began his own ramp-up with the River Cats last week.
Fitzgerald and Schmitt each went 1-for-3 while playing five innings at second base and first base, respectively, in the River Cats’ 5-3 win over Salt Lake on Tuesday. Encarnacion didn't play on Tuesday, but he’s gone 3-for-7 with two RBIs over his first two rehab games.
Encarnacion won’t be eligible to come off the 60-day injured list until May 26, but he’s expected to get a lot of reps at first base in the Minors, a notable development given the ongoing struggles of LaMonte Wade Jr.
Wade was benched against Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly on Monday night and entered Wednesday batting only .157 with a .504 OPS and one home run over 37 games this season. His swoon at the plate is a major reason why Giants first basemen entered Tuesday with a .503 OPS, the second-lowest mark in the Majors.
Encarnacion has made only two career appearances at first base in the Majors, but he got some playing time there when he was coming up through the Marlins organization and should have some time to get back up to speed during his rehab assignment with Sacramento. Encarnacion was initially expected to get the lion’s share of at-bats at designated hitter following his hot spring, but the Giants are now reluctant to uproot Wilmer Flores, who has provided key production for the club this year.
Flores is an experienced first baseman, but the Giants believe the DH spot will help keep him healthy throughout the season, which will likely force Encarnacion to play more defense when he returns. Schmitt could also factor into the first-base mix, as he was getting some starts there against left-handed pitching before landing on the IL last month.
Christian Koss and Brett Wisely have been filling in at second base in recent weeks, but neither has been able to match the offensive output of Fitzgerald, who was batting .284 with a .773 OPS and two home runs before getting hurt on a diving play.
The Giants haven’t determined how many rehab games Fitzgerald or Schmitt will need before they’ll be ready to be activated off the IL, but both could be back within the next week if they continue to progress as expected.
“I don’t think there’s any real formula for it, other than see how they feel, see what the need is and go from there,” manager Bob Melvin told reporters on Tuesday.
Here’s a roundup of other notable performances from the Giants’ four full-season Minor League affiliates:
Triple-A Sacramento
• Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, the Giants’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, struck out nine over seven scoreless innings on Tuesday, lowering his ERA to 3.48 over eight starts this year. The 24-year-old has gone at least seven innings in three consecutive starts this month, becoming the first River Cat to accomplish the feat since another lefty -- Andrew Suarez -- did so in four straight in 2017.
“He’s really emerged this year,” Melvin said of Whisenhunt. “Last year, I thought potentially there would be a time when we might see him. But I think coming into this year, it’s a different look, a different intensity to it. I think his focus is on trying to get here to the big leagues this year.”
• Outfielder Marco Luciano launched a grand slam against Tacoma on Saturday and is now batting .276 with six doubles, six homers, 18 RBIs and 21 walks in his last 28 games.
Double-A Richmond
• Right-hander Trent Harris (No. 11) hasn’t allowed a run over his first eight relief outings for the Flying Squirrels, striking out 12 and walking two over 10 innings this year.
High-A Eugene
• Outfielder Bo Davidson (No. 9) entered Tuesday batting .352 with a Northwest League-high .999 OPS over 24 games for the Emeralds this season.
Single-A San Jose
• Outfielder Dakota Jordan (No. 6) entered Wednesday riding a 14-game hitting streak, batting .368 (21-for-57) with three doubles, one homer and 13 RBIs over that span. The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the top hitters in the California League this year, batting .307 with an .845 OPS, two home runs, 28 RBIs and 13 stolen bases over 32 games.