SF Giants’ Brandon Crawford lands on IL for only 3rd time of his career; Yermín Mercedes added to roster

Giants, Crawford decide IL stint is best chance for him to recapture production from impressive 2021.

SAN FRANCISCO — For only the third time in his 12-year major-league career, Brandon Crawford is headed to the injured list.

His slide into home plate Tuesday in Atlanta, bruising his left knee, was only the latest in a series of ailments that has left the Giants’ shortstop banged up for the majority of the season. After attempting to play through it Saturday against the Reds, it also proved to be the final straw to convince Crawford and the Giants that their best move would be a little time off.

“He hasn’t been the healthiest version of himself all year,” said manager Gabe Kapler, who consulted with Crawford and decided the 10-day IL offered them the best chance at rediscovering his production from a year ago.

The Giants placed Crawford (left knee inflammation) on the 10-day injured list before their series finale Sunday against Cincinnati, recalling first baseman/outfielder Yermín Mercedes to take his place on the active roster. In 11 previous MLB seasons, Crawford had required only two IL stints (4/26/17-5/11/17, right groin strain; 7/19/21-7/29/21, left oblique strain) and has never missed more than 24 games in a season.

“Sometimes a stretch of seven days without having to grind through the rigors of a game can be really big for a player,” Kapler said. “This is an opportunity to get a player who hasn’t really been healthy for the majority of the season … to let all of his tissues recover. The expectation is we’re not going to lose him for very long.”

Because of the Giants’ upcoming schedule, with days off Monday and Thursday, Crawford could potentially only miss eight games on the IL. He’ll be eligible to rejoin the club July 4. However, Kapler said, “If we didn’t have these two off days, my sense is we would have gotten here anyway.”

Crawford has dealt with issues in his quad and his forearm, as well as general illness, that has kept him from being 100% this season. He’ll take a few days to recover before resuming baseball activities, Kapler said, a break that the club hopes help him “recapture” the player that produced 6.3 fWAR last season, at age 34, easily the most of his career.

After a resurgent 2021, Crawford entered this season with renewed expectations at the plate but has not only failed to live up to those levels of production but had been on pace for his worst offensive season since 2013. His .663 OPS through 63 games this season is below his career average (.725) and more than 200 points lower than his .895 mark last year.

Crawford’s defense has also taken a hit, having already committed more errors this season (10) than he did all last year (nine), despite playing fewer than half the innings at shortstop. Crawford’s 15 Outs Above Average last season ranked fifth among all shortstops in the majors, according to FanGraphs, but he ranks 18th this season, with minus-4.

“He’s just kind of battled and grinded all year long,” Kapler said. “Craw’s on the IL because we want him to feel confident and healthy going forward. … Craw could be back and making contributions before you know it and maybe be a healthier version of Brandon, which we saw what that looks like last year. It’s pretty enticing to be able to recapture that.”

Welcome, Yermínator

Taking Crawford’s place on the roster was a player whose reputation precedes him.

The most notable addition the Giants’ clubhouse Sunday morning was maybe not Yermín Mercedes, himself (though at 5-11, 245, he certainly commands a room) but rather the blinged-out “YM” medallion hanging from his neck, measuring at least two inches in diameter.

“He plays with a lot of personality. Lot of fun to watch,” said Giants outfielder Luis González, who has known Mercedes since they were teammates at the White Sox’s High-A affiliate in 2018. “He can really swing the bat. I’m excited to see what he can bring to this team.”

The Giants claimed Mercedes off waivers from the White Sox earlier this month and while the length of his stay with the major-league club is still to be determined, for now, he provides a powerful right-handed bat off the bench.

Mercedes made MLB history by recording hits in his first eight at-bats to start last season on his way to being named the Rookie of the Month for April (while batting .415/.455/.659 with five home runs). But he followed that by batting only .196/.264/.272 over the next two months and hasn’t been given another chance in the majors since. His personality clashed with Chicago manager Tony La Russa, who publicly admonished him for not abiding by the so-called unwritten rules.

“He’s just a raker,” said Kapler, who added that Mercedes will be an option at first base, left field and, in case of emergency, at catcher. “He became a guy we were really interested in learning about. I think he’s a good fit for our organization right now. A dangerous right-handed bat off the bench, the ability to play three positions for us. And a guy who’s come in with just an incredible attitude and energy and brought a really good vibe to the clubhouse already.”