If Michael Conforto isn’t back with SF Giants, has he proven enough to cash in this winter?

SAN DIEGO — As a pending free agent surrounded by younger, cheaper and some more productive players at his own position, Michael Conforto may not fit into the Giants’ plans for 2025. And yet, on Saturday the veteran outfielder was back in their starting lineup, while Marco Luciano and Luis Matos rode the pine.

“It’s a balance,” manager Bob Melvin said. “It depends on who we’re playing, and we’re playing a lot of teams that are right in the middle of the playoffs. And it’s also a balance of developing guys, too.