Longtime San Francisco Giants veteran infielder David Villar, who was designated for assignment earlier this week to make room for infielder Casey Schmitt’s return from the injured list, has cleared waivers and was outrighted by the team to the minor leagues. However, Villar rejected his outright assignment, and instead has elected to head to free agency for the first time in his career.
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Villar was initially selected by the Giants in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft. The 28-year-old has spent his entire career in the San Francisco organization.
Villar worked his way up through the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 2022. He appeared in 52 games that season, slashing .231/.331/.455 with nine home runs, 24 runs batted in and an OPS of .787.
He was a well above average bat, as he had an OPS+ of 122 and a wRC+ of 124.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t sustain that success at the MLB level.
In 2023, he made 46 appearances with the big league club, hitting just .145 with five home runs, 12 RBIs and an OPS of .550.
He then made just 11 appearances in 2024, and nine appearances in 2025. This year, he was 4-for-20 (.200) with an OPS of .610.
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While Villar hasn’t had many big league opportunities, he’s spent a majority of his time in Triple-A.
Across 280 career games at the highest minor league level, Villar has slashed .273/.381/.507 with 61 home runs, 217 RBIs and an OPS of .887.
This year in 15 Triple-A games, the right-handed hitter has slashed .368/.439/.439 with an OPS of .878. He’s now betting on himself to earn another opportunity with a different MLB club.
Defensively, Villar has experience at first base, second base and third base. He can provide versatility off the bench for a team in need of infield help.
At just 28 years old, Villar has plenty of time to find his role at the MLB level. However, it won’t be with the team that drafted him, as Villar will now look for his next opportunity outside of San Francisco.
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