The San Francisco Giants are rolling, having just swept their former cross-town rivals, the Athletics, in an exciting weekend series. But the old phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is clearly not one that Buster Posey prescribes to. Because, ahead of their series opener on Monday against the Kansas City Royals, the Giants made a move at first base and designated hitter, swapping in Casey Schmitt at the expense of David Villar.
San Francisco made the move primarily because Schmitt, who broke camp on the roster, is healthy again. Schmitt suffered an oblique strain in the batting cage before a game a month ago, and hasn’t played since April 17. He began a rehab assignment with AAA Sacramento on Tuesday, and played in three games for the River Cats before being activated by the Giants.
His return made Villar, who was added to the roster as a fill-in when Schmitt was first placed on the IL, the odd man out. Villar wasn’t expected to play for the Giants this year, as he was open in Spring Training about competing for other teams since he was out of options and didn’t have a role on the Giants. But, when he was designated for assignment before the start of the season, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Sacramento. He was one of the team’s best hitters there, and that paved the way for him to make a return when Schmitt was injured.
While the move was predictable and logical, it is worth noting that Villar has outperformed Schmitt this year, if only mildly. In eight games, Schmitt has hit just 4-24 with two doubles, no walks, and nine strikeouts, for a .469 OPS. Villar, in nine games, has hit 4-20 with one double, four walks, and five strikeouts, for a .610 OPS. Both have played quality defense at first base after coming up through the minors at the other infield corner.
For Schmitt, there will likely be some pressure to perform. Christian Koss has handled the role of backup middle infielder very well, which means Schmitt is the most likely candidate to head back to Sacramento when Jerar Encarnación is healthy (Encarnación, who recently had his rehab paused, is eligible to come off the 60-Day IL in a week).
As for Villar, there’s a good chance this is the last we’ve seen of him in the organization. There’s a good chance that he clears waivers again but, since it will be his second time, he can reject an outright assignment to Sacramento, and instead become a free agent. That would allow him to pursue a role with another organization, where he might have an easier path back to the bigs. Best of luck, David.