Who will step up for SF Giants during abscences of Evan Longoria, LaMonte Wade?

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — In a span of only a few hours, the Giants went from the expectation of starting the season at full strength to the reality that they will be missing two of their most important bats from their Opening Day lineup.

LaMonte Wade Jr. suffered a knee injury Monday afternoon while scoring on a ground ball, and an MRI later that night revealed inflammation and bone bruising in his left knee, knocking him out for at least 10 days. On Tuesday morning, Evan Longoria flew to Los Angeles for an operation to repair a ligament in his right index finger, likely sidelining him well beyond Opening Day.

“We were counting on Evan to be not just ready for Opening Day but at his best,” Kapler said, explaining the reason Longoria waited until now to have surgery on an injury stemming from an incident last August revolved around “some optimism and some expectation that he would feel good enough to grip a bat and make all of his throws and be the best version of Evan Longoria. And he wasn’t able to get there.”

As soon as Kapler received the prognoses on Wade and Longoria, he said, he started envisioning how his lineups would shake out in their absences. So, here’s a look at a few players Kapler can expect to write on his lineup card more often now.

Wilmer Flores: When Longoria missed two chunks of time last season, Flores received the majority of the opportunities at third in his stead, starting 51 games at the hot corner. As a right-handed bat who isn’t limited by his platoon splits, Flores will assume same role with Longoria out this year.

“On the infield, this opens the door for Wilmer Flores to play a little more third base,” Kapler said. “We have a ton of confidence in his bat in the lineup all the time. A ton of confidence in him at third base. … Wilmer knows that Longo’s going to be out for a bit, and he’s prepared to take on that responsibility.”

By inserting Flores into the starting lineup, though, the Giants lose a valuable and versatile member of their bench. But in this organization, there is no shortage of do-it-all players to backfill their bench.

Thairo Estrada: In the battle of utilitymen without options, Estrada already appeared to have the upper hand at cracking the Opening Day roster. But the Giants now have an even greater need for a right-handed bat who can play all over the diamond. Fortunately, Estrada is more than comfortable at third. Replacing Longoria means filling the shoes of a three-time Gold Glove winner. Asked who the Giants’ best defensive option is at third, Kapler took a long pause, then said Estrada’s name.

The Giants acquired Estrada from the Yankees last April in a straight cash deal, and the 26-year-old went on to enjoy a breakout offensive season, batting .273/.333/.479, while filling stopgap holes primarily at shortstop and second base but also made appearances at third and both corner outfield spots.

Estrada, however, is a right-handed bat similar to Flores, so they aren’t likely to share platoon time at third. It could mean Estrada is the Giants’ first option when they want to give Flores a day off or pencil him in at DH.

Mauricio Dubón: The Giants’ Opening Day center fielder last year struggled to adapt to his new role, coming off the bench and moving all over the diamond, as the season went on. But he has displayed a new mindset this spring, which bodes well for carrying Dubón as extra depth at the end of the Giants’ bench.

It was thought that there would be room on the Opening Day roster for only one of Estrada and Dubón, two right-handed hitters who play multiple positions but offer no roster flexibility with their lack of options. Of the four positions he played last year, Dubón logged the least amount of time at third base, and Kapler still believes he is best suited at second base and center field. It’s possible Estrada is used to spare the left side of the infield while Dubón sees time spelling Tommy La Stella at second base.

Steven Duggar: The two players to benefit most directly from Longoria and Wade going down — as in, the two players who have roster spots now when they didn’t at the start of the week — are Duggar and Dubón. Unlike Dubón, Duggar has an option available, making him a candidate to start the season in Triple-A amid a crowded major league outfield. But the outfield is a little less crowded minus Wade, especially so from the left-handed side of the plate.

Without Wade in left field, the Giants’ most likely outfield against right-handed pitchers will shift Joc Pederson from right to left field, Mike Yastrzemski from center to right and insert Duggar into center field, which should provide a defensive upgrade but comes at a cost offensively.

“When you have a couple of injuries like we had … you start to write lineups and look at rosters,” Kapler said. “And sometimes Duggar will slot into a lineup that Wade would have been in.”

Darin Ruf: Ruf isn’t going to step into Longoria’s position at third base, but he will be the Giants’ most impactful right-handed bat in the lineup most days. Although he was acquired as a lefty-masher, Ruf has grown into a threat against right-handers, too. Without Wade, whom he often platooned with, Ruf can expect more opportunities in left field whenever he isn’t DHing and the Giants prefer more offense in the lineup than provided by a Pederson-Duggar-Yastrzemski outfield.

Jason Vosler, Jason Krizan, Alex Blandino, Luke Williams: Now entering organizational depth territory. Only Vosler and the recently acquired Williams are currently on the 40-man roster; Blandino and Krizan are both in camp as non-roster invitees.

The Giants signed Vosler as a minor-league free agent last offseason, and nobody rode that I-80 corridor between San Francisco and Sacramento more than Vosler last season. Williams came over in a trade this week from Philadelphia, where he appeared at every position but pitcher and catcher in 52 games last season. Blandino, a graduate of Stanford and St. Francis High School (Mountain View), has been enjoying a strong spring at the plate but there are similar concerns to Krizan about where he plays defensively.

When asked about possible replacements for Longoria, Krizan was the first name out of Kapler’s mouth (as has been the case on more than one occasion this spring for the 32-year-old who has never appeared in a major-league game), and he failed to mention Blandino or Williams until their names were brought up independently. Read into that what you will.