Luis Arraez hoping to remain in San Francisco

Arraez is a free agent at the end of the season and on a Giants team that is highly unlikely to make the playoffs, so it makes sense that he will be on his fifth team in five years come August. As Passan notes, “Arraez has done more to improve himself in the eyes of teams than perhaps anyone” else on the market given how well he has played second base this season. Pair that with his batting average and his ability to get on base, and teams could be lining up to trade for Arraez at the deadline.

San Francisco was down five runs at the time, but Chapman seemed to suffer a right leg injury while making a play at third base to end the sixth inning. He stayed in momentarily to bat in the ensuing frame before leaving the contest. Luis Arraez was forced to move over to the hot corner with outfielder Jonah Cox entering the game at second base since the Giants were playing without any backup infielders with Willy Adames (back) hurt. Not great.

Arraez was back atop San Francisco’s lineup following a two-game hiatus after fouling a ball off his foot earlier this week. The 29-year-old contact-oriented second baseman has put together an encouraging Giants debut and figures to be on the move prior to the trade deadline in early August.

Arraez was hurt when he fouled a ball off his foot on Tuesday. His return means Casey Schmitt is shifting back to the outfield. That’d seem like bad news for Victor Bericoto, but since he homered the last two days, the Giants are sacrificing some defense by sitting Drew Gilbert and playing Jung Joo Lee in center tonight.

Arraez will require some additional time off to rest and recover after fouling a ball off the arch of his right foot during Tuesday’s showdown at Oracle Park. The positive news is that initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures. It’ll be Casey Schmitt taking over at the keystone in his absence. The 29-year-old has put together a strong San Francisco debut, flashing better-than-expected defense at second base, and figures to be on the move to a contender at the trade deadline in a few weeks.

Consider Arraez questionable for Wednesday. The Giants could start him at DH if necessary. That would mean sitting Rafael Devers or, more likely, Bryce Eldridge, but that’s a fair move with the A’s starting a lefty.

This is how to stuff a stat sheet. Arraez did a little bit of everything and a lot of things he doesn’t normally do. Especially drawing a walk to start the game. Then, homering in his second plate appearance. That was just his 16th walk and third home run so far this season. Later on, he chipped in his sixth stolen base to make this a delightful combo meal. He’s been a force for the Giants all season long with a .326 batting average and .813 OPS. Over his last 30 games, he’s been even better with a .358 average and .948 OPS. That’s a sensational month and one that probably has plenty of teams looking at Arraez for a potential trade deadline boost.

Olney adds that Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray are also obvious trade candidates. All indications are that Logan Webb is one of the few untouchables for San Francisco as they pivot towards more of a long-term build. The Giants sit at 29–43, nine games out of a playoff spot. Nothing appears imminent, but barring a dramatic turnaround, San Francisco is shaping up to be a seller ahead of the trade deadline in early August.

Arraez was responsible for San Francisco’s lone runs of the contest when he smacked a two-run single to left-center field against Diamondbacks starter Michael Soroka in the third inning. The 29-year-old’s latest multi-hit effort raises his batting average to .325 through 53 games in his Giants debut. He’s been especially hot of late, hitting .352 (31-for-88) with two homers, nine RBI and one steal since the start of May.

The homer would have been a routine fly to right most days, but not with the wind whipping today. It made it over the fence while being hit 95.1 mph at a 42-degree launch angle. Arraez also homered on Friday, so he has two this year without having collected a barrel yet.