Tyler

Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald will end up missing the entire series against the Padres while dealing with tightness in his lower back. The 27-year-old will get at least one more day of recovery with Donovan Walton starting at second base and Brett Wisley handling shortstop.

Fitzgerald is day-to-day with tightness in his lower back. Marco Luciano is the starting second baseman, with Brett Wisely moving over to shortstop while Fitzgerald recuperates.

Fitzgerald left Thursday’s game due to what was described as lower back tightness. He’s out of the Giants lineup tonight. The newly recalled Donovan Walton is getting the nod over Marco Luciano in Fitzgerald’s place.

Marco Luciano replaced him, with Brett Wisely moving from second base to shortstop. Fitzgerald is likely day-to-day.

Fitzgerald led off the bottom of the first inning with a double before scoring on a passed ball. He then drove in a run with a double in the second and scored on a home run by Mike Yastrzemski. Fitzgerald reached for a third time with a leadoff single in the fourth and scored his third run on a double by Yastrzemski. The 26-year-old shortstop is hitting .297/.352/.532 with 14 homers, 49 runs scored, 31 RBI, and 17 steals across 293 plate appearances.

Fitzgerald hit 13 homers in a 26-game span from July 9-Aug. 18, but he’s now gone 22 straight games without adding to his total, which has resulted in him being dropped in the Giants order. He’s still an everyday player, and he’s still stealing bases, so he’s not necessarily without value in mixed leagues. However, we wouldn’t count on another homer barrage this season.

It’s unclear if this was a true benching or if the Giants were just pulling Luciano for defense at second base, which is something that would make sense but also hasn’t generally happened previously. Fitzgerald, who was playing short, ranged way past second base to try to unnecessarily call Luciano off the easy popup in the seventh. The modest collision resulted in the ball bouncing away from both. Neither player showed any interest in going after the ball following the drop, and the two argued in the dugout afterwards, though things didn’t seem to get physical. If it was a benching, then both players would seem to have deserved one.

Fitzgerald stole second and third base off Max Fried. He drove in a run with a sac fly in the second inning. That gives the 26-year-old 27 RBI on the season, and he’s stolen 14 bases over just 61 games. In what has been a very mixed year for the Giants, Fitzgerald has been a massive bright spot.

Fitzgerald took Grant Holmes deep for a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the first inning. He later knocked a base hit in the fifth. The 26-year-old slugger is up to 14 homers and 12 steals while slashing .309/.366/.624 across just 194 plate appearances.

Fitzgerald’s home run was his 12th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Patrick Corbin in the first inning. Fitzgerald has been on fire lately. He has 11 home runs and 18 RBI in his last 17 games. Fitzgerald is hitting .314 with a 1.023 OPS and 24 RBI on the year.