Hackenberg didn’t mess up there. You’re supposed to throw the ball to 2B. That’s on Gonzalez (or whoever was at 2B if a righty was up, can’t remember).
Yeah, they kinda don’t need both Slater and Taylor. I guess you can DH Benintendi against lefties and play Slater in LF (depending on how the rest of the team looks). I know the platoon is in RF to start but that can change.
If he has control next offseason, Kyle Tucker. I don’t think he gets full control this calendar year though. I’d guess next year by end of 2026 at earliest.