Drew Gilbert’s overall line still looks modest on paper, but the SF Giants have reason to keep watching the way he’s trending. The left-handed hitter has carved out a clear split in 2026, and against right-handed pitching, he’s done enough to stick in the mix.
Through 189 plate appearances this season, Gilbert is hitting .232/.321/.360 with three home runs, 16 RBI and 20 runs. He’s also posted a 9.5 percent walk rate, a 17.5 percent strikeout rate and a .128 ISO. The power hasn’t shown up in much volume, but he’s getting on base at a respectable clip, and that walk rate stands out on a Giants team that has the worst mark in that category.
Lately, Gilbert has been putting together at-bats that force pitchers to earn everything. The results do not always show up in the hit column, but the quality of the trips has been there. In June, he has a .394 on-base percentage across 67 plate appearances, with 12 walks and eight strikeouts.
The matchup split is where the story really sharpens. Of those 67 plate appearances in June, 64 have come against right-handed pitching, while only three have come against southpaws. Gilbert hasn’t logged a hit in 25 plate appearances against left-handed pitching, which makes the case pretty clear: the Giants should keep limiting those looks when they can.
Against righties, though, Gilbert has been a different player. He owns a .270/.362/.418 line with a 120 wRC+ in 164 plate appearances this season.
That kind of production keeps him in the lineup, and it also opens the door for a bigger offensive role. There’s even a case that he should be hitting higher up, though for now he’s settled in as a difficult at-bat lower in the order.
The bigger picture is less flattering. Gilbert has produced just 0.3 fWAR in 298 career plate appearances, which is not much return for the amount of playing time he’s received.
Still, if the job is to fill a specific role, the real question is whether he’s performing it. Right now, he is.
That matters because the strong side of a platoon usually gets the bulk of the work, and Gilbert’s name has been in the lineup every day because of it. Harrison Bader has missed most of the first half of the year, and the coaching staff also does not have much confidence in the alternatives to handle center field outside of Gilbert and Jonah Cox.
Gilbert may also have to keep carrying the shadow of his past connection to Tony Vitello, who has seemingly never missed an opportunity to give Gilbert an at-bat. But the present is what counts here, and Gilbert is doing enough to fit the role that can lead to plenty of playing time.
In Other News...
Giants Fans Are Getting Dragged Back Into This Free Agency Debate
Several weeks after the Giants Pride Night, the fallout from four pitchers protesting the teams Pride hats is still echoing around San Francisco. What started as a game-night controversy has turned into a broader conversation about the city the Giants represent, and whether that environment can become a factor when the club tries to bring in outside talent.
San Francisco Chronicle reporter Susan Slusser said the debate could linger because the citys prominent LGBTQ community is part of the reality free agents have to consider. The question hovering over the Giants now is not just how they manage the public reaction to the protest, but whether that reaction becomes something players weigh when the offseason market opens up again. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Pfaadt Is Back In A Huge Moment For Arizona
Arizona has been piecing together its pitching plans while working through injuries to Michael Soroka and Ryne Nelson, and that pressure has pushed the club into some familiar roster juggling. The latest move gives Torey Lovullo another option as the Diamondbacks try to steady a rotation that has had to absorb a heavier bullpen workload than planned, and the timing matters with the Giants next on the schedule.
Brandon Pfaadt has been working his way back after time spent in the bullpen and Triple-A, where the results were enough to keep him in the conversation for a return to the starting group. His next outing comes with real significance for a Diamondbacks staff that has been stretched thin, and the corresponding roster move should tell more about how Arizona is trying to manage the rest of the week. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Keep Embarrassing Themselves In The One Area Posey Preaches Most
For a club that has spent much of the season talking about cleaner habits and sharper execution, the Giants keep finding ways to undercut that message with the same old baserunning sloppiness. It has shown up in recent days in more than one form, from Willy Adames losing track of the outs while chatting with Mookie Betts to rookie Jonah Cox making a similar mistake, which only deepens the sense that this is becoming more than an isolated lapse.
The bigger issue for San Francisco is that these are exactly the kinds of details Buster Posey has said matter most, the little things that should be nonnegotiable on a well-run team. Instead, the Giants are leaving the impression of a club that is not nearly attentive enough in the areas that most reward discipline, and that puts pressure not just on the players but on Posey, Tony Vitello and the rest of the staff to make sure the message finally sticks. [Read more 🡒]