Tony Vitello Reveals Willy Adames Update After Removal From Giants Lineup

Willy Adames has had an up-and-down career since breaking into MLB with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018. His numbers tend to fluctuate from year to year.

When the shortstop was cooling off to start the 2021 season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers where the fresh start did wonders for him. After four seasons with the club, Adames hit free agency at 29 years old.

The San Francisco Giants swooped in and signed the top shortstop option on the market to a seven-year, $182 million contract. Since then, the pairing has been rocky to say the least.

2025 saw Adames' numbers dip. Despite crushing his usual 30 home runs, he only mustered a .739 OPS. With poor defense at shortstop, fans were expecting a little more out of his bat.

Now in 2026, the 30-year-old is statistically a below average hitter. A .234 batting average, .281 on-base percentage and a .712 OPS. He does have 11 home runs and 29 RBIs, so at least the counting stats are there.

Whatever you can say about Adames' tenure with San Francisco so far, you can't say he's been injury-prone. He played 160 games in 2025, and 67 out of 68 possible games this season.

That trend might be bucked now, as the ninth-year man will miss Wednesday's series finale versus the Washington Nationals. Giants manager Tony Vitello said that Adames was having leg discomfort on Tuesday, reported Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Vitello said Adames had some leg discomfort yesterday. Giants are off tomorrow so he should get 48 hours to get right. https://t.co/6LTzSKmrVc

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) June 10, 2026

Infielder Casey Schmitt will get the start at shortstop tonight. The 27-year-old has previous experience at the position in 2023 and 2024, before Adames' arrival. He has only 17 innings at shortstop since 2025.

Schmitt hits very well, with 15 home runs and an .832 OPS this season. His defense can't be much worse than Adames', so the Giants may be able to handle a prolonged absence if it comes to that.

Adames has seemingly become the face of San Francisco mediocrity since his signing. After finally securing a big-ticket free agent, the player in question totally declined the instant after signing the contract.

The club is 27-41, a whopping 16 and a half games out of first place in the National League West. They have a long way to go this season.

Related: Giants Outfielder Lands Back on IL

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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 12:42 PM.