Like it or not, recently signed second baseman Dan Uggla will be wearing the orange and black this weekend, as the Giants open a three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In fact, he will be in the starting lineup on Friday in the 7th spot.
Uggla had 7 at-bats with the Giants' AAA affiliate and compiled 2 hits, including a double, has an RBI, and has scored a run. This season with the Atlanta Braves he has sported a .162/.241/.231 line, a far cry from the impact player and power bat he was four years ago. Nonetheless, he will be asked to try and get back to the season he had four years ago.
The Giants have also purchased the contract of Tony Abreu. To clear space off of the 40-man roster, they have designated utilityman Nick Noonan and pitcher Jose De Paula for assignment. Noonan had been struggling this season in the minors and did not have much of an impact when he played last season in the MLB. De Paula was really more of a transplant from San Diego's farm system and hasn't shown a great amount of success to warrant being used in the MLB.
Abreu was a part of the 2013 team and had a line of .268/.301/.442 in 53 games. Ideally, he is the Giants best option to fill the second-base void, which has seen it struggles throughout the year. Fortunately for Abreu, he now has an opportunity to contribute his bat. However, his opportunity comes as a result of both Marco Scutaro and Ehire Adrianza being placed on the disabled list.
Scutaro has been battling back issues all season long and was called up two weeks ago to help contribute to, arguably, the Giants' weakest position. Unfortunately, he was not able to get much going, possibly due more to the lingering injury than anything else. Adrianza re-injured his hamstring after Thursday's game against the Phillies and his return is unclear.