This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado's Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- After undergoing surgery to remove the carpal boss in his left wrist on Dec. 2, Casey Schmitt is finally starting to get back into the swing of things.
The Giants’ infielder was cleared to begin a hitting progression last week, and he resumed swinging off a tee under the supervision of head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner.
“Everything felt great,” Schmitt said on Saturday before the Giants’ FanFest Tour stop at San Pedro Square Market. “Groesch had to pull me out of the cage.”
Schmitt said the grip strength in his left hand is already back to 95%. He’s hoping he’ll be back to normal by the time Spring Training begins next month.
The 26-year-old hurt his wrist when he was hit by a pitch on June 25, and he played through persistent discomfort in the second half. When the pain didn’t subside during the offseason, Schmitt decided to opt for the same surgery that top prospect Bryce Eldridge had in October.
“I kind of dealt with it probably since June or July when I got hit against Miami that first time,” Schmitt said. “I was kind of dealing with it since then. Just masking it and just getting through the season. I thought it would go away. So I gave it a month off. It didn’t go away. Then we went the surgery route to get it taken care of so I don’t have to deal with it for this year.”
While Schmitt has resolved his wrist issues, he still isn’t in the most comfortable spot heading into the 2026 campaign. He’s projected to serve as the Giants’ starting second baseman this year, but the club has been looking to upgrade at the position this offseason. San Francisco was recently linked to the Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan and the Cubs’ Nico Hoerner, both of whom could push Schmitt into a utility role -- or turn him into a trade chip.
“I feel like every year I’ve kind of been in that trade talk. So it’s kind of nothing new for me,” Schmitt said. “I don’t really pay attention to it. I just kind of take care of what I’ve got to take care of and get myself ready to have the best season that I can have.”
Schmitt batted .237 with a .706 OPS and a career-high 12 home runs over 95 games in 2025, but he believes he’s in position to take another step forward now that he’s past his physical ailments. A natural third baseman, Schmitt has been focusing on improving his proficiency at second base, where he has been taking grounders alongside shortstop Willy Adames over the last two weeks.
“I think this year, given what I learned last year and now that my hand is fully healthy and my body is fully healthy, I kind of know what to expect,” Schmitt said. “I feel like I’ve kind of been able to learn every single year. Every year, I feel like I’ve gotten a little bit better. I feel like this year, I can figure out a way to put it all together and just go out and play and have a breakout year.”