What are SF Giants center field options after Jung Hoo Lee’s injury?
The Giants' rookie center fielder dislocated his shoulder Sunday and is expected to miss a substantial amount of time.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants will know more about the outlook for Jung Hoo Lee when their rookie center fielder meets with Dr. Ken Akizuki, the team’s head orthopedist, later Monday evening to review an MRI on his injured left shoulder.
For now, they know he dislocated his shoulder crashing into the outfield wall in the first inning of Sunday’s walk-off win over the Reds and that, whether or not it needs to be surgically repaired, the injury typically comes with a lengthy recovery.
Manager Bob Melvin said before first pitch Monday against the Dodgers that “I would think no at this point, based on what I’m hearing,” regarding the possibility of surgery, which could be the difference between a six-to-eight week absence and potentially missing the remainder of his first major-league season.
“It takes a little while to process this,” the Giants manager said of his 25-year-old center fielder after talking with his interpreter, Justin Han, in the aftermath of the injury. “He’s very team-oriented and wants to be out there for his team and therefore is disappointed, but there’s not much you can do about it.
“You make an all-out effort like that to catch a ball in the first inning, make that play and it’s a huge momentum swing. All of a sudden our center fielder’s down. We had to recover from that a little bit. I’m sure he’s feeling it right now. He wants to be out there for his team.”
In the meantime, the Giants have a variety of options who can play center field but perhaps no one player who can match Lee’s unique skillset.
As their primary leadoff hitter, Lee has elite at putting the ball in play, one of three qualified batters who are striking out in fewer than 10% of their plate appearances (his company: Luis Arraez and Steven Kwan). On the bases, his speed hasn’t translated to as many steals as the Giants would like (caught three times on five attempts) but still provides the threat to run unlike anyone besides Thairo Estrada.
The vast outfield grass of Oracle Park’s center field, with alleyways on both sides, may be where Lee’s absence is felt the most. His sprint speed of 28.4 feet per second ranks in the top 17% of major leaguers, behind only Tyler Fitzgerald (29.8) and Matt Chapman (28.5) on the Giants, and helped him cover all that ground.
According to Statcast, Lee had provided plus-1 run of fielding value, in the 62nd percentile leaguewide, with arm strength — an average of 94.2 mph on his throws — that ranked in the top 2% of MLB outfielders.
“Now I know why they call him ‘Grandson of the Wind,’” Jordan Hicks marveled after Lee chased down — and backhanded — a surefire extra-base hit in his last start at Citizens Bank Park. Earlier in the road trip, he showed the ability to charge shallow pop flies, too, laying out for a diving catch at Fenway Park and slamming his glove into the grass, gratified at making up for a misplay earlier in the inning.
That speed — and effort — was exemplified all the way until Lee collided with the outfield wall Sunday afternoon.
“Everybody felt it early in the game,” Melvin said. “We come back in the dugout and it wasn’t a great feeling. But the way we responded, being down like that, the first portion of the game didn’t feel too good. Trying to win a series, to be able to come back, lose the lead again and come back again, I’m proud of the way they scrapped the entire game. But we did feel the effects of that when it happened.”
Now, the Giants must weather the effects in the longer term.
Lee was their seventh position player in the past 10 days to land on the injured list, joining Patrick Bailey (concussion), Tom Murphy (left knee sprain), Jorge Soler (right shoulder strain), Nick Ahmed (left wrist sprain) and Austin Slater (concussion).
On Monday, Melvin penciled Luis Matos into center field, batting eighth, and said the 23-year-old “is going to get a pretty good shot out there.” Without Michael Conforto (hamstring) or Jorge Soler (shoulder), Heliot Ramos was also expected to make regular starts in the corner outfield spots.
Melvin also named Fitzgerald as an option in center — he has played 15 games there since being called up last year — and said Mike Yastrzemski would take fly balls there in the event he is needed to fill in, too.
One option not on the table: Wade Meckler, the only other outfielder on the 40-man roster. He hasn’t appeared in a game this season after straining his left wrist in the Giants’ exhibition in Sacramento.
“Look, we have some other options now and that’s what we need to concentrate on,” Melvin said. “There are a lot of holes that we have right now with a lot of the guys going down, but it creates an opportunity for somebody else.”
Notable
C Jakson Reetz was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take the roster spot of Lee, who was placed on the 10-day injured list. … Bailey was held out of the lineup for a second straight game as the Giants work to determine whether the “head cold” he woke up with Sunday was related to his recent concussion. … Soler could begin a one- or two-game rehab assignment later this week if the next steps in his hitting progression go well. … After throwing four scoreless innings Sunday in a rehab start for Single-A San Jose, Blake Snell (adductor) was set to meet with Giants doctors Monday to determine the next steps in his rehab. Potentially signaling Snell is ready to rejoin the rotation, the Giants optioned Mason Black to Triple-A on Monday, recalling Nick Avila to bolster their bullpen. Black made two starts in Snell’s rotation spot, going 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA, and cannot be called back up for a minimum of 10 days without another injury.