Casey Schmitt and Blake Sabol were optioned.
With 24 games remaining and their playoff odds sitting at a meager 0.3%, the San Francisco Giants have finally turned to their future. Ahead of a home series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Giants announced that infielder Marco Luciano and outfielder Luis Matos had been recalled to join the Major League roster. They replace infielder Casey Schmitt and catcher Blake Sabol, who were optioned to AAA Sacramento.
#SFGiants roster moves:
– IF Marco Luciano recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.
– OF Luis Matos recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.
– C/OF Blake Sabol optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
– IF Casey Schmitt optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 3, 2024
Neither Luciano nor Matos had the breakout season that many expected this year, and their role on the 2025 Giants is still a gigantic question mark. So it makes all the sense in the world for the organization to get a better look at them at the Major League level ahead of yet another critical offseason … and one where you can expect them to target both outfielders and middle infielders.
Both hitters — who, it should be noted, are each still just 22 years old — have been hitting the ball well lately in AAA. Over his last 12 games, Luciano has hit 16-46 with two home runs, one triple, six walks, and 12 strikeouts. And in Matos’ last 10 games, he’s hit 15-42 with four home runs, three doubles, three walks, and just five strikeouts. Both have been significantly better in the second half of the season than in the first half, when they put up disappointing AAA numbers while having rough stints in the Majors.
While the move signals that the Giants are ready to start looking towards 2025, they haven’t fully given up on winning games in 2024. Shortly after announcing these promotions, the Giants put out their lineup for Tuesday’s game, and while Mike Yastrzemski (right field) and Michael Conforto (designated hitter) are both in it, Matos is absent [update: Conforto has been scratched and replaced by Jerar Encarnación]. Luciano, however, is getting the start at second base, which will be his first time playing in the field in the Majors since a series of error-filled games at shortstop in late-May. His brief call-up in late-July and early-August saw him used exclusively as a designated hitter.
The Giants have pretty clearly moved on from Luciano as a shortstop, but have been trying to get him up to speed at second base in Sacramento. It’ll be fun seeing him get an opportunity to play there in San Francisco, and it certainly makes the cutthroat decision to move on from Thairo Estrada a little more palatable now.
There’s a lot to criticize with San Francisco’s erratic, up-and-down treatment of Luciano and, to a lesser extent, Matos, which has been compounded by fairly mixed public messaging. But with the team all but eliminated, it seems safe to say that, barring any injuries, both of these exciting young bats will be on the roster for the rest of the season. Let’s hope they play a lot, too.