David Villar is going to get some run.
In case you missed it, the San Francisco Giants made their first roster moves of the season this weekend. Backup infielder-turned-platoon-first-baseman Casey Schmitt was scratched from Friday’s lineup after tweaking his oblique in the batting cage, and was placed on the 10-Day Injured List, with David Villar taking his spot.
On Monday we got an injury update for Schmitt, and while it’s not terrible, it’s not great, either. The Giants announced that the righty has a Grade 2 left oblique strain, and is expected to miss a month of action.
The Giants say Casey Schmitt has a Grade 2 left oblique strain, which will likely sideline him for a month.
— Maria I. Guardado (@miguardado.bsky.social) 2025-04-21T23:13:11.808Z
That means that Villar is likely to get a good amount of run. Schmitt will miss the next month or so, and Jerar Encarnación isn’t eligible to come off the 60-Day IL for more than a month. Villar, then, is more than just a placeholder: he’s in line to be a critical part of the roster for a significant chunk of time.
That could change, of course. While the recovery timeline for Schmitt is unlikely to be positively changed, another player could force their way onto the roster in Villar’s place. Marco Luciano would be the most logical name, if he can start to force the issue in AAA Sacramento.
But that’s putting the cart way ahead of the horse. Villar is here, and likely to be here for quite a while while Schmitt and Encarnación rest, recover, and rehab. Let’s hope that Villar runs with the opportunity. His performance on Sunday was a pretty good start.