The San Francisco Giants Have An Outfield Dilemma

With the Giants starting to get healthy, they may have to make some difficult decisions regarding their outfield.

May 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Luis Matos (29) hits a sacrifice fly for a walk off RBI during the tenth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park. Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants are finally starting to get healthy, and with that comes questions about how they face roster construction. As it currently stands, they have a lot of outfield options with both the Triple-A team and big league team that are going to force them to decide who to choose.

Outside of the plethora of pitching injuries, the Giants outfield has been hit hard this season. Michael Conforto had a lengthy injury stint, as did Austin Slater, and they lost their big offseason signing, Jung Hoo Lee, for the season. Now, Slater and Conforto are healthy and back with the team. Although it's a good problem, it's still a problem, especially considering that Luis Matos is on fire with Sacramento.

Matos has been up and down this season, with mixed results. After playing just one game before being optioned, his second stint saw the young outfielder get off to a blazing hot start. In his first six games with the big league club, Matos hit .455 with a 1.318 OPS. He drove in 16 runs, most of which came in a series against the Colorado Rockies in which he drove in 11 runs in two games.

After that series, Matos slogged through a 9-for-59 stretch that led to him being optioned. His demotion corresponded with the return of Austin Slater, who has been red hot since coming off the IL. With a 1.046 OPS since his return, Slater has been great in the leadoff spot after struggling mightily prior to being injured.

Along with Slater's return, the Giants got Michael Conforto back. After being one of their best hitters to start the season, his injury was a big blow to the team. They gave him a lucrative two year contract before the 2023 season, and the veteran was set to be an important part of the lineup. Now that he's back, he has become an regular once again.

Mike Yastrzemski has had a rough go of it this season, with just a .691 OPS, but he is a team leader and one of the longest tenured Giants.

In the absences of the inured outfielders, the Giants promoted both Matos and Heliot Ramos. Ramos, since being re-called, has been the San Francisco's best hitter. In 35 games, the 24-year-old has a .965 OPS and currently leads the team with 2.6 bWAR. He is sitting in ninth place among NL All Star vote getters in the outfield.

This brings us to the dilemma.

Austin Slater, who was not good before he got hurt, has come back with a vengeance. Yastrzemski is a huge clubehouse leader and Michael Conforto was given a big contract. Ramos has been red hot and earned and everyday role. That itself is fine, if Luis Matos didn't have anything to say about it.

Even though Matos was flailing before being optioned, the 22-year-old still proved that he could hack it at the big leagues. Not to mention, he's knocking at the door once again. On Monday, he was awarded PCL Player of the Week for his performance with Triple-A Sacramento.

Matos went 13-for-28 with five home runs, six doubles and 13 RBI. He is on a similar hot streak that the Giants saw against Colorado, and he is forcing himself back into the conversation for being back on the big league team.

That could complicate things for the Giants with a crowded outfield, though. With the trade deadline approaching and Matos crushing it in the PCL, desicions will have to be made. Will the team be sellers or buyers? Either way, both Slater and Conforto are free agents after the season. Trading one, or both, could wind up becoming an option to make room for the youth and future in the outfield.

The Giants, if they want to stay in the NL postseason race, will have to make some big moves at the deadline. They have one player, in Heliot Ramos, that looks like he's going to be a star. With the rest of the outfield, the players are either getting older and taking a step back, or are upcoming free agents.

Once again, Luis Matos is making things interesting for the team going forward.