The San Francisco Giants might not platoon as much as they used to, but they still do base who their first baseman is on any given day based on the opponent's starting pitcher. LaMonte Wade usually starts every time the Giants play against a right-handed starter, as has been the case for years now, but notably, he's on the bench for Tuesday's game against right-handed starter Jack Flaherty.
Casey Schmidt is starting at first base in his place and is batting seventh as the Giants look to even their series against the American League's best team, record-wise.
While no indication has been made that Wade has been permanently benched, the fact that he isn't playing on Tuesday shows that the Giants are at the very least frustrated with his season-long struggles.
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Giants lineup proves they're fed up with LaMonte Wade's struggles
Wade was once one of San Francisco's most consistent players against right-handed pitching, but is slashing .177/.280/.290 with one home run and 14 RBI against righties this season. Among 137 position players with at least 140 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers, Wade ranks 127th with a 63 WRC+ and 131st with a .570 OPS. To put it simply, he's been one of MLB's worst regulars against right-handed pitchers, and he's done that when the sole reason he's on this team is to mash right-handed pitching.
Wade's track record suggests he'll bounce back, but ultimately, he's been given two months to get going and hasn't yet. He has a total of 22 hits in 47 games played. Essentially one hit for every two games played is not going to cut it, especially for a player like Wade who doesn't provide much value in the field or on the base paths.
Players get days off all the time, but this feels different. Wade sits whenever there's a left-handed starter on the mound, so it's not as if he needs a day off. He's on the bench because he has not been producing, and Bob Melvin decided that enough was enough.
Hopefully, this benching will give Wade the spark he needs to finally get going. If he fails to, though, tougher conversations will surely be on the horizon as the Giants hope to keep pace in a brutally tough NL West division.