Giants Star Outfield Prospect Stands to Benefit Most from Absences For WBC

The San Francisco Giants have a prospect who could get a lot of playing time thanks to several players heading to the World Baseball Classic.

A detailed view of the San Francisco Giants logo on the sleeve of a player. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Normally, a prospects time in Major League spring training is defined by how well they play. But the World Baseball Classic adds a little complexity to the math for teams like the San Francisco Giants.

San Francisco has nine players scheduled to play in the WBC, which begins next month. For those players they'll have the opportunity to represent their country in the biggest international event featuring Major League players. But for the players left behind, there could be opportunity. No position offers more opportunity than the outfield.

San Francisco’s starting outfield — left fielder Heliot Ramos, center fielder Harrison Bader and right fielder Jung Hoo Lee — are all preparing to leave to join their teams at the end of February. That opens a massive opportunity for a Top 100 prospect to pounce on extra playing time — Bo Davidson.

Bo Davidson’s Big Chance

Bo Davidson in his last 21 games of 2025 at AA Richmond (98 PA)

.261/.337/.511
145 wRC+
.848 OPS
6 HR
23 H

With a strong start to 2026, he could fight for big-league ABs as soon as this summer. pic.twitter.com/oQHiLJeh3h

— Michael Monreal (@ByMMonreal) February 11, 2026

With that trio absent, the Giants have five outfielders on their Major League 40-man roster — Will Brennan, Jerar Encarnacion, Drew Gilbert, Luis Matos and Grant McCray. Davidson is one of three outfielders on a non-roster invite. The other two are Victor Bericoto and Jared Oliva.

In spring training, most players don’t play every day, especially in the first couple of weeks of camp. So, Davidson was going to get rotated in anyway. But, as a prospect that is unlikely to make the Major League Roster, he might be sent to minor league camp at the beginning of March. With three fewer outfielders, the Giants may need more coverage and that gives Davidson more opportunity to face Major League pitching for a longer period time.

San Francisco manager Tony Vitello seems all for it, as he told reporters on Monday.

"Yeah I've seen a lot," he said. "He's got a natural self-confidence about him."

More playing time means more chances to make a good impression and improve his chances of getting to Triple-A Sacramento by the end of the 2026 season.

He’s already an organizational success story. He was an undrafted free agent coming out of Caldwell Tech Community College in North Carolina in 2023. He’s risen to Top 100 prospect status but hasn’t yet played at Double-A Richmond, where he is likely to start the campaign. More playing time gives him a chance to add more maturity to his toolbox, which could be applied in Richmond. A great start there puts him on the promotion radar late in the season.

He’s hit well at every stop, but he showed off more power than ever last season. He hit a career-best 18 home runs and 70 RBI as he slashed .281/.376/.468. He played 42 games at Richmond last season. It should be interesting to see how he performs early in spring and how that translates to not only Double-A but how he could make a quick promotion to Sacramento.