Giants notes: Luciano, youngsters receiving extended MLB look originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — When the Giants lost Nick Ahmed to a wrist injury, they had two young options waiting in Triple-A. They initially chose Casey Schmitt, and as he explained the move, manager Bob Melvin said the front office wanted Marco Luciano to continue to play every day. Luciano now will do that at the big-league level.
It seemed that Luciano would be the one sent back down when Jorge Soler returned, but instead, the Giants sent Schmitt to Triple-A. He played good defense in six appearances but was 3-for-22 at the plate, so it was Luciano who started Friday and it appears he’ll be the shortstop until Ahmed returns.
“We feel like it’s a good time to get him out there and give him a shot at this job,” president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said before Friday’s win over the Colorado Rockies.
Luciano was 1-for-4 in his first start, striking out twice before he dropped a soft single into right in the seventh for his first career RBI. He was never really tested defensively, although he nearly threw one ball away on a routine grounder to short. The Giants have continued to work with Luciano on his defense and Melvin said they’ve seen growth.
“He has put in a lot of work, a lot of work,” he said. “At some point in time, if he’s going to be here he’s going to play shortstop. He’s the shortstop of the future here, he’s a guy that was playing the most shortstop down there (in Triple-A). We patched it together with Casey for a few days and Casey did a nice job, but if Marco is going to be here, Marco is going to play some shortstop.”
Ahmed won the job in the spring and is eligible to come off the IL this weekend, but he doesn’t appear close. He has been keeping his arm in shape with throwing drills but still is wearing a brace on his left wrist.
That should leave a nice runway for Luciano, who had a .743 OPS in Triple-A at the time of his promotion. The 22-year-old has improved his plate discipline, although he hit just one homer in 128 at-bats in Triple-A. Zaidi said he’s not concerned about the lack of pop for a prospect who always has counted that as his best tool.
“The homers, he’s got so much power that that’ll come,” he said.
Getting Close?
There was no relaxing on the off day for Patrick Bailey. He flew to Pittsburgh to see Dr. Mickey Collins, who is considered the best concussion specialist in the country and helped the Giants previously with Brandon…