SF Giants activate LaMonte Wade Jr. but lose 2 more players to injured list
SAN FRANCISCO — Just as the Giants added one piece back to their lineup, they lost two more.
LaMonte Wade Jr. was activated Friday before the first game of their series against the Dodgers, batted second and played first base in his first action since straining his left hamstring sliding into second base a month ago.
But he wasn’t receiving throws from his usual second baseman.
To clear room for Wade on the active roster, the Giants replaced him on the injured list with Thairo Estrada and Wilmer Flores. The double play duo behind Logan Webb consisted of Brett Wisely at second base and Nick Ahmed at shortstop, while Tyler Fitzgerald was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to provide depth off the bench.
“He’s been dealing with quite a bit,” Melvin said of the Giants’ starting second baseman, ruled out for the remainder of their homestand and their entire next road trip.
The official designation for Estrada was a left wrist sprain, the same hand on which a jammed thumb cost him three games earlier this month.
Flores was experiencing tendonitis in his right knee, the club said.
While Estrada has played a strong second base and contributed nine home runs, tied for second on the team, his batting average dipped to .231 and his overall offensive production had been 17% below league average, according to wRC+. By the same metric, Estrada has been league-average or better at the plate in each of his previous three seasons in San Francisco.
Since missing three games earlier this month with a jammed thumb, it has been even tougher sledding for Estrada, who has four extra-base hits in his past 20 games, batting .182 with a .482 OPS over that stretch.
Flores went hitless in five at-bats Thursday against the Cubs, lowering his OPS to .599.
“He’ll never say anything. As long as he’s playing he’ll say he’s 100%,” Melvin said. “But he hasn’t been for a bit here. It’s been a knee thing. We’re figuring out how long it’s going to take to get him right as well.”
Among the National League leaders in reaching base, Wade was making a compelling case to be the Giants’ All-Star representative when he landed on the IL last month. With less than a week until rosters are announced for the July 9 game in Arlington, Texas, Melvin said, “Why not?” when asked if Wade still had enough time to earn a selection.
In 26 games without their starting first baseman, the Giants have gone 10-16, going from two games above .500 to four games under entering Friday’s series opener with their National League West rivals, who entered play holding a 12-game lead on the top spot.
“It’s nice to have him back,” Melvin said. “There’s a lot we’ve missed with him. But it’s the stability at the top of the order, the getting on base and getting clutch hits is kind of the thing we’ve been missing with him.”
Pitchers on the mend
While Melvin discussed his team’s latest developments from the third-base dugout, the bullpen mound beyond the outfield wall buzzed with activity.
Alex Cobb, Kyle Harrison and Tristan Beck all cycled through the door in the center field wall as each pitcher progresses through their recoveries from a variety of ailments.
Beck threw 25 pitches in his first time on a mound since suffering an aneurysm in his throwing arm in spring training. Harrison dialed up 40 in his first mound work since spraining his ankle in the weight room earlier this month. And the next step for Cobb will be a rehab start Sunday in San Jose.
While the Giants hosted the Dodgers, two other starting pitchers made rehab starts for their minor-league affiliates, with Blake Snell on the road in Las Vegas with the Sacramento River Cats and Robbie Ray at San Jose’s Excite Ballpark with the Single-A Giants.