One of the SF Giants most exciting prospects could be back in the fold over the coming weeks. Manager Gabe Kapler told reporters prior to Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies that shortstop Marco Luciano ( Giants Top 4 Prospect) appeared in a five-inning game at instructs in Arizona earlier this week. Kapler added that he will appear in a seven-inning game over the next day or two. Luciano has been out since he suffered a hamstring injury on August 10th.
Luciano made his big-league debut in July but was optioned back to the minor leagues shortly after some veteran infielders returned from the injured list. In his brief MLB stint, Luciano went 3-for-11 with a walk and five strikeouts. He has a .244/.320/.422 line with two doubles and two home runs in 50 plate appearances at Triple-A.
The biggest blemish on Luciano's resume has been struggling to stay on the field. He missed the start of this season with a back injury and he returned to the field in May at Double-A. In 56 games prior to a promotion to Triple-A, Luciano hit .228/.339/.451 with 12 doubles and 11 home runs in the pitcher-friendly Eastern League. While those numbers may not jump off the page, he hit .306/.416/.564 with six doubles, six home runs, 18 walks, and 32 strikeouts in his final 26 games at the level.
Luciano has been one of the best prospects in the Giants organization since he was the team's top signing during the 2018-19 international free-agent period. Luciano crushed the Arizona Rookie League in his professional debut, hitting .302/.417/.564 between the Arizona Rookie League Short-Season as a 17-year-old. After the pandemic-canceled 2020 season, Luciano made his full-season debut in 2021 and was one of the best players in the California League.
Last year, Luciano hit .263/.339/.459 with ten home runs in 57 games with the Giants High-A affiliate in Eugene. He missed several weeks in the middle of the season with an injury and was promoted to Double-A for the Flying Squirrels' postseason run. He went 2-for-8 with three strikeouts in a pair of games.
The SF Giants currently have struggled to get production from the shortstop position all season. While rookie Casey Schmitt has begun to show signs of life in the past few weeks, veterans Brandon Crawford and Paul DeJong have both struggled mightily. DeJong, a right-handed hitter who was signed for the big-league minimum last month, seems like a prime candidate to be designated for assignment if the Giants want to get Marco Luciano back on the MLB roster for the stretch run of the regular season.
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