Casey Schmitt Placed On IL With Torn Meniscus

The Giants announced that infielder/outfielder Casey Schmitt has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Infielder Osleivis Basabe has been selected to take his place on the roster. The 40-man had a couple of vacancies, so Basabe fills one of those without requiring a corresponding move.

Schmitt suffered the injury during last night’s win over Milwaukee. He made a wide turn around first base on a single, then slammed on the brakes and headed back to first. His knee buckled as he made the hard stop and he needed to be lifted for a pinch-runner. An IL stint seemed inevitable when manager Tony Vitello told reporters postgame that the Giants were sending Schmitt for imaging.

It halts and perhaps ends a breakout season for the fourth-year utilityman. Schmitt has a career-best .271/.301/.483 batting line with 21 home runs across 409 plate appearances. He’s an aggressive hitter who is never likely to run especially high on-base marks, but he was swinging harder and hitting more fly balls to tap into his power. Although Schmitt’s bat had cooled following an excellent first two months,  he has been one of San Francisco’s better all-around position players this year.

This also ends whatever small chance existed of Schmitt being a trade chip this summer. His defensive versatility and right-handed bat would’ve surely gotten some interest on the trade front. The Giants have him under arbitration control through 2029 and were likelier to hang onto him regardless, presumably plugging him in as the everyday second baseman whenever they trade Luis Arraez.

Schmitt has been at third base recently with Matt Chapman on the injured list. Christian Koss, who pinch ran for him and finished last night’s game, is in at the hot corner tonight. Chapman is expected back this weekend, but Arraez will almost certainly be traded before or shortly after that. Koss could be the biggest beneficiary of the uptick in playing time once second base opens up.

The 25-year-old Basabe is up as a utility piece for the first time in three seasons. His big league experience consists of 31 games for the 2023 Rays, for whom he hit .218/.277/.310 with one home run. Basabe’s athleticism once made him a well-regarded prospect in the Tampa Bay system. His bat stalled in the upper minors and the Giants picked him up in a DFA trade over the 2024-25 offseason.

San Francisco ran Basabe through outright waivers midway through last year. They re-signed him to a minor league deal and have kept him at Triple-A Sacramento for two seasons. Basabe is hitting a league average .268/.344/.388 with five homers and 12 steals in 75 games there. He’s making a lot of contact with minimal power for the Pacific Coast League. Basabe can play both middle infield spots or third base and still has a minor league option remaining.