SAN FRANCISCO — When the Giants took the field to start the third inning Thursday night against the Brewers, Brett Wisely and Marco Luciano were in the middle infield spots. Tyler Fitzgerald was pulled from the game.
The Giants did not immediately provide an explanation for Fitzgerald’s absence, but the rookie shortstop grounded into an unassisted double play to end the second.
With a runner on first base, Fitzgerald caught a ground ball from Sal Frelick, stepped on second base and threw to first base to complete the double play. He returned to the dugout without significant injury, but by the time the next inning began, he had been replaced by Luciano.
Interestingly, Luciano took Wisely’s place at second base, who slid into Fitzgerald’s spot at shortstop.
Fitzgerald, 26, has already made a strong impression as he enters the Giants’ core group next spring. Taking over as the starting shortstop midseason, Fitzgerald hit .297 with 14 homers and a team-high 17 stolen bases in his first full-time major league opportunity.
The task has been more difficult for Luciano, who seemed destined for the job late last season but was beaten out by Nick Ahmed in the spring and spent the season splitting time between San Francisco and Triple-A Sacramento, spending increasing amounts of time away from shortstop.
Neither player has provided exemplary defense, with 19 errors between them, leading some to speculate about pursuing outside options, such as San Diego’s Ha-Seong Kim, who played for manager Bob Melvin with the Padres and is a close friend of Jung Hoo Lee.
Currently in town with the Brewers is Willy Adames and his 30 home runs, arguably the most prominent member of the upcoming free-agent class at shortstop. Adames, 29, is making $12.25 million in his final year of arbitration and, on pace for career highs in home runs and RBIs, is due for a nice raise.
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