Victor

Bericoto

It turns out Bader isn’t sitting tonight in favor of Drew Gilbert, even if that might have been deserved. He’ll serve his second IL stint of the season after hitting .170/.198/.358 in 30 games to start his Giants career. It’ll likely be Gilbert in center against righties and Victor Bericoto in right against lefties, with Jung Hoo Lee sliding over, while Bader is out.

It’s the first trip to the big leagues for the 24-year-old outfielder. Bericoto was off to a strong start offensively at Triple-A Sacramento, slashing .299/.355/.449 with six homers and 30 RBI in 186 plate appearances. He is not in the Giants’ starting lineup on Friday night but should see action in right field with Jung Hoo Lee (back) sidelined.

Even though we’re nearing the end of spring camp, there weren’t any real surprises among this group of cuts. Basabe, 25, performed well during Cactus League play, hitting .387 (12-for-31) with four RBI and an 8/1 K/BB ratio. He’ll start the year off as extra outfield depth at Triple-A Sacramento.

Encarnacion really messed up on the double play. He hit a grounder down the first base line that he thought was going to go foul, but Freddie Freeman got to it before it could and threw to second base for the first out. Encarnacion never even left the batter’s box on the play and was retired on a lob back to first. It was the kind of thing that could lead to a fringy player getting bumped off the roster. Plus, Victor Bericoto, a natural replacement for Encarnacion, went on to homer later on for the Giants’ only run of the game.

The 21-year-old has gone 6-for-25 (.240) this spring with one home run, six runs scored, five RBI, and a 10/5 K/BB ratio. He also hit just .107/.297/.179 in 37 plate appearances with the Giants last season and had a strikeout rate of 31 percent in 66 games at Triple-A last season, so there is certainly an argument that he could use a bit more time in the minor leagues. If Eldridge does start the season in Triple-A, the Giants could use the DH spot for more at-bats for Casey Schmitt and Luis Matos and could perhaps carry Victor Bericoto on the Opening Day roster after he has impressed this spring.

The 24-year-old outfielder drove in a run with an RBI ground out off of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second inning that gave the Giants a 2-1 lead. He then clobbered a three-run shot off of Christian Romero in the fifth inning that extended their lead to 8-2. He’s not going to make the Giants’ Opening Day roster regardless of how he performs this spring, but Bericoto with a strong showing in Arizona he could pave the way for an opportunity at some point during the season.