SF Giants to move Lee to right field after signing Harrison Bader
When the Giants signed Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million contract, the team intended for Lee to stick in center field for the majority — if not the entirety — of the deal. Entering Year 3 of that long-term commitment, Lee will no longer be the captain of San Francisco’s outfield.
President of baseball operations Buster Posey told reporters during a video call on Friday morning that Lee will move from center field to right field ahead of the 2026 season. Lee’s positional change follows the team’s signing of outfielder Harrison Bader, one of the best defensive center fielders of his generation, to a two-year, $20.5 million deal, which was officially announced on Friday.
General manager Zack Minasian and manager Tony Vitello spoke with Lee about moving to right field, and Posey said that Lee took the news well. Posey added that Lee could occasionally see time in center, but affirmed the plan is for Bader to be the starting center fielder.
“We looked at Jungy relative to center fielders in terms of jumps and routes and arm strength and where he ranked there. Then, we also looked at him relative to right fielders,” Minasian said. “So, a lot of that came back really positive about how he would transition to right field and where he would rank relative to other right fielders. We think he’s going to be very good out there.
“The other part too is the eye test of watching him last year. We feel like just watching him, there is an instinct to play the outfield and getting more and more comfortable in his second full season in the big leagues and more and more comfortable with his teammates that it’s something he’s going to be good at as he goes to right.”
Moving Lee from center to right in favor of Bader, a one-time Gold Glover, was a necessary move.
Bader, 31, has been an elite defensive outfielder during his nine-year career. Since making his debut in 2017, Bader’s +77 outs above average — meaning he saves 77 more outs than the average defender — are the most among all outfielders. In center field, specifically, Bader’s +67 outs above average during that same span are second only to Kevin Kiermaier.
The 27-year-old Lee, by contrast, has rated out poorly in center field since joining the Giants, accruing -6 outs above average and -20 defensive runs saved over the last two seasons. In 2025, San Francisco’s outfielders ranked last in the majors in outs above average (-18) and 28th in defensive runs saved (-21).
“Without a doubt, defensively, I wanted to sharpen up my skills there,” Lee said this past Saturday at the Giants’ FanFest tour through an interpreter. “So, a lot of training in the offseason focused on my work on my defense in the outfield. Really happy about the strides I made and excited about next season.”
Along with in-game reps during Cactus League play, Minasian said that the Giants have a field at Papago Park with the same dimensions and wall heights as Oracle Park. Papago Park does not offer an exact one-to-one replica — Papago’s right-field fence is chainlink while Oracle’s right-field fence is mostly brick — but will provide Lee a better sense of the dimensions.
Lee hasn’t played right field since joining San Francisco but has played 275 career games at the position in the KBO for the Kiwoom Heroes. Minasian said that Lee will likley play center field for South Korea during the World Baseball Classic, a decision that the team says it is fully behind.
With Bader in center, Lee in right and Heliot Ramos in left, the Giants have the foundation for a much defensive outfield. Ramos, like Lee, had a poor defensive season (-9 outs above average) but should benefit from having a Gold Glover flanked to his left.
“As we look and project out, we feel like the physical tools are there for each player to be a solid outfielder at their position,” Minasian said. “Obviously, Bader has shown it in center field. We’re confident that Jung Hoo will make a really good transition, smooth transition (to right field).
“Then, a lot of quality reports on how much work Heliot’s put in in left field this offseason. The tools and skillset are certainly there, so as we look at it and project out, we think the defense in the outfield as a whole is going to be much better than what we’ve seen last year and even probably the past couple years.”