Emmanuel

Burriss

The club went 55-21 in the regular season. Burriss, drafted 33rd overall out of Kent State this year, hit .307/.384/.366 with 35 steals in 65 regular-season games and .316 in the playoffs. Like a lot of the Giants’ top prospects, the switch-hitter lacks in the upside department. Still, he has a chance to become a decent regular at shortstop.

But this too shall pass. Burriss has a career .592 OPS in 584 major league at-bats. His speed and defensive abilities could serve him well this year, but won’t be very much help to fantasy owners.

This doesn’t come as a big surprise, as Sanchez recently received a cortisone shot in his surgically-repaired shoulder after hitting a “plateau” in his rehab. He’ll likely need at least the first couple weeks of the season to get ready. The Giants have Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot on the roster, but Emmanuel Burriss is considered the favorite to take his place at second base.

Emmanuel Burriss had been pegged as Freddy Sanchez’s replacement, but evidently manager Bruce Bochy will go with the veteran. Theriot is a fantasy option only in NL-only leagues, and a weak one at that.

Burriss told reporters that the issue is minor, and that he simply didn’t want to push it. He entered Wednesday’s game with a stunning .429/.474/.629 spring batting line.

It was a bit of a surprise to see Emmanuel Burriss in the starting lineup against left-hander Jon Niese, but now we have our explanation. Theriot was too sick to make the flight Thursday, but is expected to make it to New York at some point on Friday.

Stark suggests the Phillies and Braves could have interest. Theriot, 32, is an effective slap hitter with a .282 career batting average, but his days as a starting major league shortstop should be put to rest. Emmanuel Burriss currently projects as the Giants’ Opening Day second baseman.

Sanchez hasn’t had any problems playing catch up to 120 feet, but he’s hesitant to throw across his body or with any real authority. The Giants are hopeful that the cortisone shot will allow him to make some progress, but he’s a near-lock that he’ll need to spend the early part of the season on the disabled list. As of now, Emmanuel Burriss is the favorite to start at second base. Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot are both reportedly on the trading block.

Sanchez was given a cortisone shot a little over a week ago to help speed his recovery from shoulder surgery. The biggest issue has been his throwing, so he’ll likely play a couple weeks of rehab games to get ready. Ryan Theriot and Emmanuel Burriss will split playing time at second base for now.

Terms aren’t yet available. Burriss, who turns 27 in January, was arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason as a Super Two player. He batted just .204/.253/.212 with zero homers, four RBI, 11 stolen bases and a .465 OPS over 152 plate appearances this past season at the major-league level.