SF Giants lose Yastrzemski to hamstring injury, after all; power-hitting infielder recalled from Triple-A
Despite initial optimism, Mike Yastrzemski's left hamstring sent him to the injured list for the second time this season.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants were optimistic that Mike Yastrzemski would be able to avoid the injured list, but that turned out not to be the case.
Yastrzemski was placed on the 10-day IL before Friday’s series opener against the D-backs after going through pregame drills and feeling worse than he did Thursday, a day after he aggravated the same hamstring that sidelined him for two weeks at the start of May.
Infielder Isan Díaz was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take Yastrzemski’s spot on the roster and was in the starting lineup at second base, while Thairo Estrada received his second day off in three games. Set to face three righties this series, starting with Zach Davies on Friday, the loss of one of the Giants’ top left-handed bats comes at an inopportune time, but they did get back another righty masher: LaMonte Wade Jr. (side tightness) was back at first base.
Manager Gabe Kapler said Yastrzemski was “a little sore today.”
Yastrzemski, who had four homers and 11 RBIs in his past eight games before hitting the IL, said he felt his hamstring “grab a little bit” while advancing first to third on J.D. Davis’ RBI single during the Giants’ four-run sixth inning Wednesday night but that it “felt nothing like the first time I did it,” charging for a fly ball in center field in the Giants’ second game in Mexico City.
An MRI revealed “less than a Grade 1” strain, and Yastrzemski said he wasn’t in much discomfort in the immediate aftermath of the injury or the following day. But running sprints in the outfield approximately three hours before first pitch Friday, Yastrzemski “wasn’t perfect there,” Kapler acknowledged.
Having already injured the same hamstring twice this season, Yastrzemski said he will be cautious in his recovery but not his playing style.
“That’s probably when you hurt yourself more is when you think about it and play any different,” he said. “It’s one of those things that I talked about early on in my career. Buster (Posey) tried to tell me to stop running into walls. I told him that the second I start being cautious around the wall or start changing the way I play is the second I’ll probably hurt myself even more. …
“I’m sure there’s going to be a better, more thorough, thought-out process in terms of how I’m getting loose and my preparation and making sure that the hammy is definitely good to go everyday.”
Kapler insisted that Estrada was fine, despite two recent days off, and that the Giants wanted to get Díaz into the lineup.
The 27-year-old former top-100 prospect finally made his Giants debut Friday.
After being acquired from Miami last April, Díaz posted a .951 OPS while hitting 23 homers for Sacramento and would have been in line for a September call up if not for a groin strain that ended his season. Since returning from a hamstring injury he suffered in the spring, Díaz has hit .333 with three home runs in his first six games this season with Sacramento. He was standing by at Oracle Park on Wednesday. When he wasn’t activated, he reported to Single-A San Jose, which was playing in Stockton, and recorded another two hits on Thursday.
“I talked to him after the game and told him that he should come to the ballpark ready to play today,” Kapler said. “He can really swing the bat. Dangerous bat who can elevate the ball to the pull side, drive the ball to the opposite field. Isan’s going to give us a good at-bat and do a fine job for us at second base, as well.”
Notable
— RHP Alex Cobb (oblique strain) will make a rehab start at Single-A San Jose on Saturday. He will follow RHP Ross Stripling (low back strain), who struck out 10 and didn’t issue a walk over four innings in a rehab start there Thursday. Whether Stripling rejoins the rotation or slots into a bulk role upon his return, Kapler said: “We’ll see what the needs of the team are when we make the decision that he’s physically ready and capable of helping us.”
— OF Dalton Guthrie, whom the Giants acquired from the Phillies on Thursday for cash, reported to Triple-A Sacramento. Kapler called the 27-year-old “a good right-handed depth bat for us.” San Francisco transferred Mitch Haniger (forearm fracture) to the 60-day IL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Guthrie.