At this point, it looks like the San Francisco Giants are going to miss the playoffs.
They were never able to string together prolonged periods of winning, as there was always seemingly something that hampered them.
The Giants will be heading into the offseason as one of the most disappointing teams from this campaign after there were expectations their winter spending would have gotten them to compete for at least a Wild Card spot in the National League.
Instead, there will be real pressure on this front office to put a contending team on the field in 2025.
That’s why it’s important the young players on this roster continue to get reps and improve their games late in the year, as that would not only create more depth for next season’s team, but it would also allow Farhan Zaidi to focus on specific areas they need to bolster in free agency.
Two players who are making a case to be in the running for a role is Grant McCray and Tyler Fitzgerald.
Neither were expected to contributors coming into the year, but at this point in the season, both are starters at their respective positions in center field and shortstop.
There’s a good chance Fitzgerald has played his way into being the full-time starter in 2025 based on how well he has done defensively, and with his impressive performance on offense. Similarly, McCray has proven he should at least be in the mix for securing a role in the outfield going forward.
When both got banged up a bit the past couple days, San Francisco was hoping they would both be okay to keep playing this season as it winds down.
Turns out, that’s exactly the case.
Per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, Fitzgerald’s MRI on his back revealed there is nothing overtly wrong, so he’s been given the diagnosis of day-to-day coming down the stretch. The insider also reported that despite not being in the lineup for Saturday’s contest, McCray is “feeling better” after slamming into the wall.
As is the case with all young players, the more reps they get the better, so even though the Giants are ultimately going to miss out on the playoffs, they still have something to compete for coming down the stretch.
