Atlanta --

With the trade deadline approaching, players get nervous about being dealt. However, there is one Giant who is ready to move on if another team wants to give him a larger role.

Outfielder Nate Schierholtz, raised in the Bay Area and a Giant since he was drafted in 2003, told The Chronicle on Wednesday that he feels marginalized and believes he has little future in San Francisco, especially after manager Bruce Bochy told him in May that he does not view him as an everyday player.

"There's no place I'd rather play than here," Schierholtz said. "It's where I grew up. It's home to me. I love the fans. I love the city. There's not one thing I can't say I love about this place, but I think I've come to the realization that maybe I'm not their guy. I'm not in the cards having a future here."

Schierholtz said neither he nor his agent, Damon Lapa, specifically asked the Giants for a trade, but when asked if he would welcome a deal, Schierholtz said, "I think whatever the best fit for the team and me is would be ideal. I can't really make those decisions. It's all up to them. Whether I'm here or not I'm going to give my best effort every day and bust my tail."

Given the Giants' dearth of outfielders, it's hard to imagine them trading Schierholtz unless he was used as bait for the right-handed outfielder they need.

"There's a lot of baseball left," Bochy said when told of Schierholtz's comments. "Guys have got to start realizing that. I don't think now is the time for guys to think about what's going to happen to them. Now is the time for 25 guys going out there and pulling together trying to do the same thing."

Schierholtz, 28, was supposed to be the everyday right fielder this season. He started well and was batting .372 with a 1.148 OPS after getting six hits in an April 23 doubleheader at New York. But he went 0-for-12 in the subsequent series at Cincinnati and was 1-for-21 over the next seven games, including five starts.

2 1 of 2 Sarah Rice/Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Lance Iversen/The Chronicle Show More Show Less



Bochy replaced Schierholtz with Gregor Blanco, who became the everyday leadoff hitter and took off. On May 30, Blanco was hitting .289 with a .401 on-base percentage and a .423 slugging average.

Schierholtz started four games in early June when Melky Cabrera hurt a hamstring and went 5-for-12. But in 45 games since June 12 he has started 14.

Schierholtz said he understood why he was benched and why he stayed benched as Blanco soared through May. But he figured he might get more playing time as Blanco began to struggle. Since May 30, Blanco is hitting .224, with a .297 on-base percentage and .329 slugging average.

"I think sometimes the standard of my play is different from other players," Schierholtz said. "We're all in this to win, but I'm as competitive as anyone. I came in with the expectation to play maybe a little bit more than we've seen. A weeklong slump kept me back on the bench for a couple more months.

"It's a tough hole to dig myself out of and leaves me wondering if they don't have a future for me here."

Bochy said that having Blanco hit leadoff "gave us the depth we needed in the middle of the order" and suggested that was true even if his numbers declined, because Blanco still draws walks and adds speed to the bases.

Bochy also said he has not forgotten Schierholtz.

"Nate is an important part of this club," Bochy said. "I understand players want to be out there every day. You don't blame them. That's how they should feel. I like Nate. I love Nate in the role he's had here. He's done so much contributing in that role."

But Schierholtz is not sure Bochy likes him. He wants a shot to play regularly and said Bochy told him point-blank that was not likely to happen.

"He told me he doesn't see me as an everyday player," Schierholtz said. "He told me it's always going to be like that."

Schierholtz said he was a "little bit confused" about his situation.

"I started off the year playing well and getting comfortable," he said. "I went through a five-game skid, I guess you can say, and didn't get a hit, and I found myself back on the bench and not really knowing when I would play again.

"I think the frustrating thing this year has just been the fact that I haven't had an opportunity to contribute to the team as much as I'd like to (in) getting back to the postseason and the World Series.

"It's disappointing, but I'm still working as hard as I can and done what I can when I've been given the opportunity."