Osleivis Basabe’s second act with the Giants started with a jolt and ended with a hard fade.
For a brief stretch, he looked like one of those unexpected midseason sparks that can change the feel of a lost year. Then the bat cooled, the defense wobbled, and by the end of the season his case for sticking around had thinned out considerably.
Basabe’s road back to San Francisco was anything but direct. The Giants acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash, then designated him for assignment a few months later.
He stayed in Sacramento after clearing waivers, later signed a minor-league deal in November, and returned to spring training as a non-roster invitee four months later. That is where his comeback began to take shape.
He opened the year in Triple-A after a strong spring, where he hit .387 with a 1.051 OPS in 31 at-bats. His big-league door swung back open on July 28, when the Giants selected his contract after Casey Schmitt suffered a torn meniscus. Matt Chapman was already out with a core muscle injury, and Basabe was next in line to help cover the infield.
The early returns were eye-catching. In his first major-league game since 2023, he stepped right back into the spotlight.
On August 1, in just his third game as a Giant, Basabe launched his first MLB homer in three years and later lined a game-tying double off Mason Miller in the eighth inning of an eventual loss to the Padres in San Diego. That double came off the bat at 109.6 mph, the hardest-hit ball Miller had allowed at that point.
Over the next three games, Basabe added two more homers, giving him three long balls in four days.
At the same time, the Giants were reshuffling their roster in a big way, including a trade that sent second baseman Luis Arraez to the Phillies. That opened more playing time for Basabe. It also came right as his production started to slip.
Through his first 16 games, Basabe was batting .283 with a .795 OPS. After that, the numbers dropped off fast. Over his final 30 games, he went 11-for-76, a .145 clip, with only three extra-base hits.
His worst moment came on September 1 against the Pirates, when a bad throw from third base helped cost the Giants the game even though the offense scored 12 runs. Defense was a problem overall. Basabe finished with four errors and a -6 Outs Above Average mark between second and third base.
The splits were strange, too. As a right-handed hitter, Basabe managed only a .115 average and a .406 OPS in 60 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. League averages for righties against lefties were .249 and .741, respectively.
Even more unusual: all of his run production came on the road. Every one of his 13 RBIs and five home runs happened away from Oracle Park. He played 22 games at the ballpark by the bay, but that still stands out as an odd line on a stat sheet.
Now the focus turns to whether Basabe has any real shot to remain with the Giants next year. Opening Day?
No. The 40-man roster?
That looks shaky, too.
The Giants still have 17 players on the 60-day IL, and most of them will need to be added back to the 40-man roster before the World Series ends. On top of that, the team would likely rather use some of those spots on prospects such as Joe Whitman or Henry Lalane to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.
The infield picture also works against Basabe. Chapman, Schmitt, and Willy Adames are expected back by next season, and players such as Christian Koss, Marcelo Mayer, and even Jonah Cox - who got some work at second base late in the year - appear to sit ahead of him on the depth chart.
A return to Sacramento next season is still on the table. If he’s cut loose from the 40-man, free agency could be the next stop. Either way, Giants fans probably won’t mind pulling for him.
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