With 3 HR in 5 games, this is how SF Giants’ Michael Conforto found his swing

SAN FRANCISCO — Every day, Michael Conforto steps into the batting cage and assumes his position some 40 feet or so in front of hitting coach Justin Viele, who sets up behind an “L” screen. Conforto takes some left-handed cuts, then shuffles a few feet closer. Viele fires more practice pitches; Conforto further closes the gap.

It’s all about timing, Conforto explained.

“You move closer and closer and closer,” Conforto said, “and you have to get (your swing) started super early.”

The pregame drills seem to be working.

After missing out on Aaron Judge and balking at Carlos Correa, the Giants signed Conforto as part of a two-pronged backup plan, along with fellow outfielder Mitch Haniger (who was brought in a month earlier, before Judge or Correa made their decisions). But early on in their Giants tenures, Conforto and Haniger have performed more like consolation prizes than marquee additions to the lineup.

In the past week, though, Conforto has begun to look like the hitter the Giants thought they were getting, the one who averaged 29 home runs per season and posted an .856 OPS from 2017 through 2019. Entering Monday, he had reached base in each of his past five games, with home runs in three of them.

“I like the way he’s swinging the bat,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “I’ve kind of liked how he’s been swinging the bat most of the season except he’s been making better swing decisions as of late. So you’re seeing the combination of a really good swing and good swing decisions coming together at the right time and making more consistent hard contact.”

Conforto’s recent hot stretch has raised his average to .193 and his OPS to .701.

So, there’s work to be done.

But what’s already been put in appears to be paying off.

“I just felt late,” Conforto said of his early struggles. “I felt a little rushed.”

Poring over video with Viele, Conforto and the Giants’ hitting coach saw the same thing as Kapler: His swing was mechanically sound, despite the disappointing results. What was off was his timing, so Viele and the Giants’ coaches came to Conforto with the idea of close-up cage work.

“You just go back to a normal distance and just try to get used to having a lot of time, letting the ball travel, so that’s where you bring that into the game,” Conforto said. “You start earlier than you would before, then you’re more comfortable seeing the ball a long time and able to make your decision a little bit later, a little bit less rushed.”

Complicating matters, Conforto missed all of 2022 while recovering from shoulder surgery. There are rare marvels, such as the one in the opposing dugout this series, Bryce Harper, who missed less than six months after Tommy John surgery and already has 13 hits and two home runs in his first 10 games back. But for most players, major surgery and the recovery required results in a little rust.

“These are the best guys in the world. To take a year off and think you’re going to jump right back in with no struggle or to just be lights out, I would be naive to think that,” Conforto said. “But I do expect that of myself.”

When the Giants presented him the two-year, $36 million contract he signed this winter, those were their expectations, too. Haniger, who signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract, is still waiting to heat up. In 15 games entering Monday, Haniger was batting .179 with a .525 OPS.

“They’re two guys that we’re depending on heavily and believe in and know they’re going to have good years,” Kapler said. “When you have guys with track records of success and they are still in the primes of their careers and they stay healthy, you expect that at the end of the year, you’ll see good numbers. With these guys, I think they fall into that category, assuming health.”

Notes

— Joc Pederson (right hand contusion) was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Saturday. While X-rays came back negative after Pederson was hit in the hand while squaring around to bunt, Kapler said he was “still sore” Monday and kept him out of the lineup for a third straight game. … That cleared roster space for Mike Yastrzemski (hamstring), who was activated but not in the starting lineup for Monday’s series opener. Yastrzemski “came together really well over the last couple days” and “ran the bases really hard,” said Kapler, who expects him to return to the lineup Tuesday.

— Free agent reliever Luke Jackson (Tommy John surgery) could be ready to join the Giants as soon as he is eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list, two weeks from Monday. The 31-year-old right-hander returned to the mound Sunday for the first time since October 2021. In the first outing of his rehab assignment, Jackson threw a scoreless sixth inning for Single-A San Jose, throwing nine pitches (seven strikes) to four batters.

— The Giants wanted to get Thairo Estrada a “modified off day” on Monday, giving him his first start at designated hitter. In addition to being their most productive position player (.314 average, 6 home runs, 11 steals), Estrada has been among the Giants’ most durable players, too. He started 38 of the Giants’ first 40 games, all in the field. So, on Monday, Estrada was able to “bang in the batter’s box but (didn’t) have to worry about playing defense,” Kapler said.

— With Estrada receiving the day off from the field, infield prospect Casey Schmitt received his first start at second base. Introduced to shortstop last season and second base only last month at Triple-A, the natural third baseman will cycle between all three infield positions as the Giants balance the workloads of Estrada, shortstop Brandon Crawford and third baseman J.D. Davis with opportunities for the impressive rookie. On Monday, that meant the infielder with two of the three hardest throws in the majors this season lined up closest to first base.

— The Giants could see Darin Ruf shortly, despite cutting ties with the journeyman first baseman last week. After going through waivers unclaimed and electing free agency, Ruf signed a major-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Giants visit Milwaukee for four games over Memorial Day weekend.