Kaeden Kent’s Arizona Fall League performance continues to impress everyone, including the San Francisco Giants.
In eight games with the Scottsdale Scorpions Kent has slashed .333/.385/.375 with a double and two RBI. He has the third-best batting average on the team, and he’s played a solid second base with his fellow Giants AFL teammates.
San Francisco acquired him from the New York Yankees as part of the Heliot Ramos trade earlier this year. He reached High-A Eugene to end the season and slashed .298/.350/.440 with eight home runs and 48 RBI in 2026.
If his performance in the AFL acts as a springboard for him, then there’s a chance he could be an option for the Giants as early as late 2028, assuming he gets a full year of at-bats at Double-A Richmond and another at Triple-A Sacramento. So how would he fit in that case?
Where Can Kaeden Kent Play in Majors?
Like his famous father, Giants Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, he’s a middle infielder by trade. In college at Texas A&M, he played second base and shortstop. It’s been the same in the minor leagues with the Yankees and the Giants. When one combines his college and professional work, he’s played 139 games at shortstop and 90 games at second base.
That’s a problem long term. The Giants have Willy Adames at shortstop on a long-term deal. He’s signed through 2031 on a seven-year deal that was the highest contract ever paid out by the Giants. At second base, San Francisco acquired Boston’s Marcelo Mayer at the deadline. While he didn’t play much for the Giants due to injury, he’s a pre-arbitration player.
That’s an investment for San Francisco. He’s under team control until 2032 he can’t go to arbitration until 2029. That was part of the attractiveness of making the move — a controllable player with talent who can transform the position.
With that, Kent’s path is effectively blocked at those two positions unless San Francisco decides to move on from either. So where could he play when he’s ready?
He’s logged time at third base as a collegiate and as a pro. He’s played 37 games there, but there’s another issue. San Francisco has a long-term answer there, too. Matt Chapman missed part of the end of the season with a core muscle injury but is expected back in 2027. He’s under contract through 2030. He’ll be hard to move, too.
Right now, Kent’s best path is to carve out a role similar to that of Casey Schmitt as a super-utility player. Schmitt has played several positions for the Giants and has a bat worthy of being in the lineup every day. Schmitt is a free agent after the 2029 season. That would naturally open a spot for Kent.
That is his best option right now — unless he plays well enough to compel the Giants to make a bigger move.
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