More Help for San Francisco Giants Lineup on the Way

The San Francisco Giants look like they will be adding another bat to their lineup for the final stretch of the season.

Sep 17, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Jerar Encarnacion (64) hits a two run home run against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants shook up their roster a little bit ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline. Veteran outfielder Jorge Soler, relief pitcher Luke Jackson and starting pitcher Alex Cobb were all on the move.

Some of those decisions were monetarily driven, as the Giants looked to save a little bit of money. Some of the money saved was put back into the team immediately, as they acquired versatile veteran Mark Canha from the Detroit Tigers. Canha has experience playing all three outfield spots and first base.

Some motivation for San Francisco completing these trades was to open up opportunities for younger players to get consistent playing time down the stretch of the season. Marco Luciano can receive consistent playing time as the designated hitter with Soler moved.

Hayden Birdsong has a spot in the rotation with Cobb being traded to the Cleveland Guardians despite Robbie Ray returning from the injured list. Alas, those aren’t the only young players who will be getting an opportunity in the coming days.

According to Ander Baggarly of The Athletic, Jerar Encarnacion is on his way to the big league club as well. He is traveling with the team and the expectation is that he will be added to the roster ahead of the Giants series against the Cincinnati Reds this weekend.

It would be quite a journey for Encarnacion, who began the season playing in the Mexican League with Oaxaca. He has played 33 games for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate with the Sacramento River Cats and continued his torrid production.

In 125 at-bats, Encarnacion has a .352 batting average, .438 on-base percentage and 1.054 OPS with 10 home runs and 33 RBI.

As Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area shared, Encarnacion has been getting plenty of reps at first base as well. He is expected to receive playing time there in place of the injured Wilmer Flores and David Villar.

Giants have been playing Encarnacion at first base recently to get him ready for that Flores/Villar spot. Here he comes 👇🏼 https://t.co/AhkwVoYYTZ

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 1, 2024

This will be Encarnacion’s second taste of the big leagues. A former top prospect of the Miami Marlins, he made his debut in 2022, appearing in 23 games. He had 81 plate appearances, recording a slash line of .182/.210/.338. 

He also has experience playing the outfield, providing the team with another versatile option for their bench along with Canha. San Francisco certainly hopes his current hot streak carries over in his second chance in the show.