But a notable name is missing.
The San Francisco Giants made yet another roster move on Friday, before starting their four-game series against the Colorado Rockies — a critical series that will take them to the MLB Trade Deadline.
San Francisco placed struggling second baseman Thairo Estrada on the 10-Day Injured List with a sprained left wrist. Estrada has been banged up quite a bit this year — this is his second IL stint and he’s generally been moving gingerly and packing on the ice. On top of that, he’s mired in quite a slump: since June 18 he’s hit just 6-62 with no home runs, two extra-base hits, one walk, and 15 strikeouts.
Replacing Estrada is a slightly-surprising name: infielder Casey Schmitt, who not only is taking Estrada’s place on the roster, but is also starting at second on Friday and hitting eighth. Schmitt, who is hitting .220/.238/.390 in 42 plate appearances in the Majors this year, has been hitting well in AAA Sacramento lately: since June 23, he’s hit 24-78 with four home runs, four doubles, and 10 walks, albeit with 21 strikeouts. He’s certainly deserving of another look in the Majors.
That said, it’s a bit surprising that the Giants went with Schmitt over Marco Luciano, who has been playing a fair amount of second base lately in Sacramento. Luciano is also on an absolute tear: since July 2, he’s 18-60 with five home runs, 12 walks, and 13 strikeouts.
Either way, it’s exciting to see Schmitt back up, and Luciano will surely be back in San Francisco at some point this season.