How Have the Giants Fared with the Absence of Tyler Fitzgerald?

After a great start to the season for the San Francisco Giants, they haven’t been able to quite keep up their hot start in May.

Even though to begin the month, the Giants were able to win series’ against the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs, they had a massive slip up against the Minnesota Twins on the road and were swept.

This has helped contribute to the team hovering around the .500 mark with the middle of May approaching.

In the National League and more specifically the NL West, playing .500 baseball isn’t going to get the job done.

While the offense was good against the Rockies, they have certainly been slumping of late, which is a big concern. This isn’t a team that has a ton of confidence in their batting order, and slumps could have a significant impact on their ability to win.

Have the San Francisco Giants Missed a Key Infielder?

Andy McCullough of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about the absence of Tyler Fitzgerald having a significant impact on the team of late.

“The duo of Christian Koss and Brett Wisely has not been able to replace Fitzgerald’s production. Fitzgerald should return soon enough, but his absence stings for a team jockeying for position with the Dodgers, Padres, and Diamondbacks.”

After a really strong year in 2024, Fitzgerald slid over to second base when the team added Willy Adames in free agency.

There was some concern that he might regress based on his performance in 2024, but before getting injured, he was doing well. So far in 2025, he has slashed 284/.341/.432 with two home runs and seven RBI.

The 27-year-old was playing well before getting injured, and unfortunately, his replacements haven’t fared well at the plate.

Christian Kross has slashed .220/.278.220 so far this campaign, and Brett Wisely has yet to record a hit in a small sample size this season.

Fortunately, Fitzgerald is set to begin his rehab assignment soon, and San Francisco will be excited to have him back in the lineup.

As shown by their 5-6 record without him heading into the second game of the series against the Diamondbacks, the team could use their starting second baseman back.

Overall, the Giants are still having a very strong year so far, but the NL West is tough, and mediocrity will send them into fourth place in the blink of an eye.

Even though the team has largely been able to avoid significant injuries, the depth of the lineup especially can be brought into question with their inability to produce with Fitzgerald out.