Heliot Ramos is back, and the Giants are already being forced to make room for him.
After missing six weeks with a right quad strain that landed him on the injured list in May, Ramos has returned looking every bit like the player San Francisco needed him to be. He’s not easing in quietly, either.
In his first four games back, he has put together 10 at-bats, scored four runs, hit two home runs and driven in three. He has struck out once and walked once.
The latest damage came Wednesday night, when Ramos added an RBI triple and helped the Giants snap their losing streak against the Arizona Diamondbacks. That followed a return that looked sharp from the start. San Francisco sent him on a seven-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento, and he handled that stretch well, batting .346 with four extra-base hits and seven runs scored.
When Ramos came off the injured list on June 28, the Giants used him only as the DH to bring him back carefully. But there hasn’t been much sign that he needed a ramp-up. The bat has been there immediately, and every trip to the plate is making the decision harder for the club.
That’s because the outfield picture is getting crowded fast. Jung Hoo Lee is still locked into the everyday lineup, Harrison Bader is close to returning from injury, and Casey Schmitt has spent time in the outfield while Ramos was out. Victor Bericoto has also been playing well and contributing offensively.
Manager Tony Vitello has already begun sorting through the pieces by giving Ramos some work in right field while Lee plays center. Since Ramos handled right field in the minors, he appears comfortable there, and if San Francisco sticks with that alignment, it opens up more lineup possibilities.
Ramos was expected to be a key part of this team after a breakout 2024 and another steady stretch in 2025, and his return has only underscored that importance. Whether the Giants ultimately view him as a cornerstone or as a trade chip is still an open question.
For now, though, he’s doing the one thing that matters most: producing. And if he keeps swinging like this, taking him out of the lineup is going to be a very tough call.
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