Luis Arraez -- General News

The San Francisco Giants welcomed back second baseman Luis Arraez to their starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oracle Park. Arraez had missed the final two games of the San Diego series due to soreness in his left thumb. The 14-23 Giants remain tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball with the New York Mets. The primary concern has been offensive production: the Giants rank last in MLB in runs scored (115, averaging 3.1 per game), on-base percentage (.282), OPS (.637), and stolen bases (10). Arraez, who leads the team with a .316 batting average, is a key offensive contributor. Jesus Rodriguez started at catcher Friday, while rookie left-handed hitter Bryce Eldridge remained on the bench despite the Pirates starting right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski. Manager Tony Vitello addressed the team's offensive struggles in his pregame news conference, stating: 'We're just trying to ride out the storm a little bit because we know the offensive at-bats are only going to get better and a lot of numbers will start to even out. But in the meantime, we don't want to be overly patient and just wait for things to click offensively.' Vitello indicated that Rodriguez could see increased playing time in the corner outfield positions.

Luis Arraez will not be in the lineup for Tuesday's Giants-Padres matchup, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic. The decision comes after Arraez recorded 2-for-3 performance with two doubles and two runs in Monday's series opener, ending a streak of 19 consecutive starts. The Giants are making the move to accommodate top prospect Bryce Eldridge, who debuted earlier in the series, at the designated hitter position. Casey Schmitt will shift to second base to open up the necessary roster flexibility.