Nate

Schierholtz

Schierholtz, a full-time outfielder for the first time this year, is batting .318/.366/.523 in 111 games for San Jose. He has a better outfield prospect in Eddy Martinez-Esteve on the same team with him, but he is a potential regular.

Not good news for a player who was expected to return Tuesday. Schierholtz has been out since mid-August with a hairline fracture. The 27-year-old outfielder boasted a respectable .278/.326/.430 line over 335 AB pre-injury.

The Giants are still interested in bringing Carlos Beltran back, but Schierholtz would be the most likely option if he signs elsewhere. Schierholtz, 26, batted .278/.326/.430 with nine homers, 41 RBI, seven stolen bases and a .756 OPS over 362 plate appearances this season. He was shut down earlier this month with a broken right foot, but is expected to be ready for spring training. Keep him in mind in NL-only leagues.

Bochy had considered Melky Cabrera for the leadoff spot, but sticking Pagan there seemed most likely all along. Cabrera is likely to play center field, while Nate Schierholtz is slated for right field duty. Pagan batted .262/.322/.372 with seven home runs, 56 RBI and 32 stolen bases last season for the Mets.

Giants skipper Bruce Bochy told reporters that he expects Schierholtz to return to action on Wednesday. The 27-year-old outfielder is 8-for-31 this spring with one walk.

Schierholtz suffered the injury about a week ago and hopes that a couple of days off will do him some good. The 27-year-old is hitting .258 (8-for-31) with a pair of doubles and four RBI and currently projects as the Giants’ starting right fielder.

In other words, Pagan, who’s hitting .130/.200/.217 through his first 25 Giants’ plate appearances, could face frequent benchings until he gets going. “I know he’s working hard to try to get going,” Bochy said. “It’s early, but until he gets it going we could tweak the lineup a little bit until he gets his swing. We’ve got (Gregor) Blanco to help out, Nate (Schierholtz) too. We’re going to go with matchups and use these guys too.” It’s not a good time to be relying on Pagan in deeper mixed leagues.

Schierholtz tagged Jeremy Guthrie in the fourth before taking Tyler Chatwood deep in the seventh. The bombs were his first of the season, while it was just the second multi-homer game of his career. Tonight was Schierholtz’s first start of the year, though many more could be on the way if manager Bruce Bochy continues to be impatient with Brandon Belt.

Brandon Belt started both games at first base Monday while Melky Cabrera played left field and Nate Schierholtz played right. It’s not clear if he’ll rejoin the team in time for Tuesday’s game against the Reds.

Huff was unavailable for Monday’s doubleheader because he took a flight to Florida to attend to a family emergency. It’s not clear if he’ll be available for Tuesday’s game, but Brandon Belt will make another start at first while Melky Cabrera starts in left field and the hot-hitting Nate Schierholtz plays right.