San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman. Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Surprising decision gives Giants big boost in NL wild-card chase

By Kevin Henry | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 6:25 PM ET

The San Francisco Giants will not lose one of their key players following his actions during an on-field altercation after all.

According to reports, Giants third baseman Matt Chapman has avoided a one-game suspension stemming from an on-field incident when San Francisco was in Denver on Sept. 2 playing the Colorado Rockies. Chapman appealed the suspension and the appeal was upheld on Friday, meaning the 32-year-old third baseman will play on Friday night in a home matchup against the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

The incident that led to Matt Chapman's suspension

In the Sept. 2 video below, after Rafael Devers hit a home run in the first inning off Colorado starter Kyle Freeland, you can see tensions grow between the two teams. You can also see Chapman coming off the bench to push Freeland, the action for which he was fined an undisclosed amount and then expected to serve a one-game suspension before Friday's ruling. Freeland, Chapman and San Francisco's Willy Adames were all ejected from the contest.

WOAH benches clear in Rockies - Giants game!
Kyle Freeland and Rafael Devers chirping at each other.. then Chapman gives Freeland a shove... then Adames tries to start another scuffle..
This all goes down EIGHT pitches into the ballgame! pic.twitter.com/50NwgrFudC
— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) September 3, 2025

Chapman enters Friday's game against the Dodgers slashing .243/.352/.458 with 21 home runs and 56 RBI. His 4.3 bWAR is the highest of any Giants player, and his 132 OPS+ trails only Devers.

Giants' wild-card chances

San Francisco finds itself 8.0 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West with 16 games remaining on its schedule. However, the Giants are very much alive in the NL wild-card chase, entering Friday tied with the Cincinnati Reds at 1.5 games behind the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot. The Giants are 7-3 over their last 10 games, while the Mets have gone 3-7, closing the gap quickly between the two teams in the wild-card standings.

FanGraphs listed San Francisco's chances to make the postseason at 8.3 percent before Friday's play. While the Giants may still be a long shot, keeping Chapman in the lineup certainly helps San Francisco's odds of potentially making the postseason.

Kevin Henry

A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), Kevin Henry has been covering MLB and MiLB for nearly two decades. Those assignments have included All-Star Games and the MLB postseason, including the World Series. Based in the Denver area, Kevin calls Coors Field his home base, but travels throughout North America during the season to discover the best stories possible

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