Giants on Verge of Tying MLB Record That Defines Lost 2026 Season

The San Francisco Giants entered this season with expectations of improvement. Well, there's been nothing of the sort.

After winning 81 games in 2025, president of baseball operations Buster Posey made the somewhat controversial decision to fire manager Bob Melvin after signing him to an extension. He then amped the controversy up by hiring University of Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello as his new manager.

The Giants (65-94) won’t lose 100 games but the most they can win is 68, as they prepare for the final series of the season on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But San Francisco could tie an MLB record if they do one thing in the final three games.

The MLB Record the Giants Could Tie

San Francisco Giants shortstop Christian Koss dives for a baseball during a game. — San Francisco Giants shortstop Christian Koss. Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Wednesday San Francisco called up infielder or catcher Zach Morgan from Triple-A Sacramento and put him on their taxi squad. That's where Major League teams typically put a player on standby to replace an injured player. Vitello would like to play him.

“Come hell or high water, I’d like to get him on the field,” Vitello said to reporters, including Justice De Los Santos of the San Jose Mercury-News (subscription required).

There are a couple of ways to make that happen, but the most likely is an injury. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reported that infielder Osleivis Basabe has a tight hamstring. That could be the move that gets Morgan on the roster and helps the Giants tie a record they'd rather not have any part of.

De Los Santos noted that if the Giants play Morgan, he will be their 71st player used this season.

If Morgan plays then the Giants would tie the MLB record for most players used in a season, which was set last season by the Atlanta Braves. They broke the previous record of 70, which was set by the Miami Marling in 2024 and tied by the Baltimore Orioles in 2025.

Much of this is due to the Giants’ voluminous use of the injured list this season. More than a dozen players are on their 60-day injured list. The entire opening-day starting lineup is either hurt or no longer with the team.

The only player who was on the opening day 26-man roster expected to play this weekend is utility man Christian Koss. The only other player from the opening-day 26-man roster that is still active is pitcher Landon Roupp, who has been shut down for the rest of the season.

This is the only history the giants have left to make this weekend as they face their archrivals. It's fitting, given how the season turned out.

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