Giants Surprisingly Option Former Breakout Star To Triple-A

The San Francisco Giants have surprised some with the way they have constructed the roster for the week ahead.

As first reported by Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, the Giants optioned young infielder Tyler Fitzgerald to Triple-A Sacramento after Sunday's game upon bringing veteran right-hander Justin Verlander back from paternity leave.

With third baseman Matt Chapman out for at least the next few weeks, Fitzgerald was one of the options to get time at the hot corner. However, San Francisco is rolling with the combination of Brett Wisely and Christian Koss instead.

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Coming off a breakout rookie season in 2024 in which he slashed .280/.334/.497 with 15 home runs and 34 RBI, hopes were high that Fitzgerald would be a major factor this season.

But with just a .230/.289/.320 slash line, two home runs and 10 RBI through 57 games this year, he wasn't able to meet those expectations.

Koss, meanwhile, has struggled even more at the plate than Fitzgerald this season with a slash line of .219/.269/.260 over 34 games. Though most expected Koss to be the one sent down, clearly the Giants prefer his defensive versatility over that of Fitzgerald and are willing to take their chances at the plate.

In relief of Chapman, Casey Schmitt has been one of the best players on the team and will likely continue to get the bulk of the reps there.

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Fitzgerald now gets a chance to head back down and tune some things up in order to try to unlock the version of himself that he was as a rookie.

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