The San Francisco Giants opened the season with 26 runs through their first 10 games, a total tied for the third-fewest in franchise history, and Jung Hoo Lee has been one of the focal points of the sluggish start. The 27-year-old outfielder, a key part of the Giants’ lineup core four, has not delivered the offense the club expected when it signed him to a six-year, $113 million contract in 2024.
That expectation was built on a brief but vivid first impression. Lee’s rookie season was cut short by a season-ending shoulder injury in May 2024, but before that he hit.324 in April with a.908 OPS, showing the contact skills that made him such an important part of the team’s plans. Last season, he finished with a.266 batting average, 149 hits and 10 stolen bases, numbers that still placed him second on the Giants behind Dominic Smith in batting average and behind Heliot Ramos in hits, while his defense carried a minus-5 Outs Above Average mark.
The contrast is sharp because Lee’s value has never been limited to one part of the game. In 2025, he ranked in the 95th percentile in strikeout rate at 11.5% and led the Giants in that category, a sign of how hard he is to beat when he is right. His early offense this season has been far from satisfying, especially for a player expected to help anchor a lineup that also includes Willy Adames, Rafael Devers and Matt Chapman.
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There is at least one reason the Giants believe the surroundings are better now. Lee is playing in right field, with Harrison Bader in center next to him, after being out of position last season. That should help defensively, but it does not answer the larger question hanging over the club: whether Lee can turn disciplined contact into the kind of run production San Francisco needs right now.
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For a team already stuck in a hole by the calendar’s second week, Lee’s bat is not a side issue. It is part of the argument for whether the Giants’ lineup core can carry the weight it was built to bear.
