The rookie and the vet: Who's leading the shortstop race??

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Marco Luciano came into Spring Training as the front-runner to win the everyday shortstop job, but the Giants made it clear that he wouldn’t be handed the position.

With less than three weeks to go until Opening Day, it’s beginning to look like Luciano may no longer have the inside track. The Giants’ No. 2 prospect was slowed by a hamstring issue early in camp, prompting the club to bring in two-time Gold Glove Award winner Nick Ahmed on Minor League deal last month.

The 22-year-old Luciano has struggled to find his timing since returning to action, going 1-for-13 (.077) with eight strikeouts over his five games. Ahmed, by contrast, has impressed on both sides of the ball, going 5-for-8 (.625) with two home runs and five RBIs over his first three Cactus League games.

Manager Bob Melvin said the Giants haven’t made a decision, but it felt notable that Ahmed started at shortstop in Thursday night’s game against the Dodgers, which featured most of the club’s regulars following Wednesday’s off-day.

“There’s some time left,” Melvin said Friday. “It’s not like Marco has gotten a lot of consistent at-bats. Obviously, the hamstring thing set him back quite a bit. We want to make sure we get him a little deeper in games and play him a little bit more, but we also have to understand that he’s coming back from an injury that you don’t want to happen again.”

Ahmed, 33, was released by the D-backs after batting .212 with a .560 OPS over 72 games last year, but now that he's a year and a half removed from right shoulder surgery, he’s feeling more like himself.

“I’m just coming in and competing and doing what I normally do,” Ahmed said after crushing a three-run homer in his Giants debut on March 1. “Ultimately, it’s not my decision, but I’m just going to prove that I can still play the game at a really high level.”

Luciano’s defense at shortstop has always been a bit of a question mark, but the Giants have no such qualms about Ahmed, who could team up with newly signed third baseman Matt Chapman to give the club a dynamic duo on the left side of the infield.

“The defense is what the priority was,” Melvin said. “We talked about infield defense. Chapman is here. But I think it’s [Ahmed’s] health. He had the shoulder thing, and we want to see what it looks like compared to the past. So far, so good. He’s also had big offensive years, too. It doesn’t surprise you when he hits the ball over the fence. He’s got a couple of those already.”

Aside from Luciano and Ahmed, the Giants have also been taking a look at Tyler Fitzgerald and Casey Schmitt, who had been slated to return to action on Friday after missing a week with a left ankle sprain. Schmitt seems likely to open the season at Triple-A Sacramento now that Chapman is in the fold, but Fitzgerald is emerging as the favorite to claim the final bench spot due to his ability to play shortstop, second base and center field.

Fitzgerald, 26, has gone only 3-for-18 (.167) with one home run and nine strikeouts over his first nine Cactus League games, but he’s coming off an impressive 20-20 season in 2023, when he hit .292 with an .876 OPS, 22 homers and 32 stolen bases in 121 games between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento.

“There’s a lot to like,” Melvin said. “You have that kind of speed, you have that kind of power. He can play both the infield and the outfield. That’s why we’re giving him a little second base now, too, to increase that versatility. Depending on what the roster looks like at the end, there typically is one of those guys that needs to play multiple positions. He’s certainly athletic enough to do it, so we’ll just put one more on his plate.”

Another rainy day

The Giants were rained out for the second consecutive day, with Friday night’s matchup against the Padres canceled due to inclement weather at Peoria Sports Complex.