It may have taken a little longer than the San Francisco Giants hoped or expected, but Casey Schmitt is finding himself. He's made the most of his opportunities sans standout third baseman Matt Chapman, who's been out for the last couple of weeks with right hand inflammation. However, the latter is reportedly eyeing an early-to-mid July return, raising questions about how that affects the former ... and prized trade acquisition Rafael Devers.
Schmitt has been genuinely awesome since Chapman got hurt. In 12 games without Chapman, the he's slashing .415/.478/.732 with four home runs and 12 RBI while posting an absurd 1.120 OPS. The 24-year-old has seen his season-long batting average rise from .204 to .286 during this hot streak, and he's finally making good on the prospect hype that accompanied him through the team's farm system.
He figures to seamlessly shift from the hot corner to second base following Tyler Fitzgerald's demotion to Triple-A Sacramento. But his marked development complicates matters for Devers, putting the Giants in a similar tricky spot to the one the Boston Red Sox just experienced.
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How will the Giants navigate Casey Schmitt's rise, Matt Chapman's imminent return and Rafael Devers' feelings?
As Red Sox fans know, positional confusion (or mismanagement) led to Devers' unceremonious exit from Boston. With that in mind, concerns surrounding Chapman's looming reinsertion to the lineup primarily revolve around where, or if, he will play on the diamond. And if recent history has taught us anything, San Francisco must handle this situation delicately.
When Chapman comes back, is there room for Devers in the field, or will he stay at DH? That remains to be seen, though it's something the Giants need to be prepared for and transparent with everyone involved. The Red Sox weren't, and we saw how that ended.
It's fine if the Giants intend to stick with Devers as an everyday DH, as long as they keep him in the loop. He wasn't shy about voicing his frustrations with Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and the front office for going back on their word. Frankly, San Francisco would be wise to do the exact opposite of everything Boston did over the last few months.
The Red Sox essentially chose their big offseason free agent signing, Alex Bregman, over Devers. Raffy, who was their organizational centerpiece and a key part of Boston's World Series run in 2018, reasonably took offense. San Francisco inherited the problem despite Chapman's (and now Schmitt's) presence, so it'll be fascinating to see how they respond.
Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey has said there's a "possibility" for Devers to get some reps at third with Chapman. Nonetheless, time is running out to speak that idea into existence. Schmitt isn't making things easy for San Fran, albeit due to his stellar production.