SF Giants injury updates: Flores nears return, club prepares for another roster crunch

CHICAGO — Ahead of his anticipated return to the starting lineup, Giants infielder Wilmer Flores flew to Chicago and joined his teammates on the diamond at Wrigley Field for batting practice on Saturday.

Manager Gabe Kapler said the Giants intend to activate Flores, who has been out since September 2 with a left hamstring strain, for Sunday’s series finale against the Cubs.

Kapler initially estimated Flores would miss “a couple of weeks,” but noted that the infielder heals quickly and has responded well as the Giants have ramped up his activity over the last several days.

Flores spent much of the week working out at Oracle Park alongside outfielder Alex Dickerson and Donovan Solano, who are both on the injured list. Dickerson is recovering from a right hamstring strain and was sent out on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday while Solano is nearing a return to the Giants after testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, August 26 in New York.

Solano, who was fully vaccinated, experienced mild symptoms and spent 10 days quarantined in a New York hotel before returning to San Francisco. Kapler mentioned Friday it’s possible he’ll begin a rehab assignment on Saturday, which means the Giants could have Dickerson and Solano back on the active roster by the middle of next week.

Another position player on the injured list, Austin Slater, appears on track to rejoin the Giants in the near future as he’s eligible to be reinstated from the seven-day concussion IL on Sunday. Slater ran the bases and took batting practice on Saturday at Wrigley Field, but Kapler did not say whether the Giants planned to activate him for Sunday’s series finale.

With four position players potentially set to be activated in the near future, the Giants will be facing another roster crunch. That could be bad news for a handful of players who have made important contributions to the club in the last week as Mauricio Dubón, Steven Duggar and Thairo Estrada are all candidates to return to Triple-A Sacramento because they have minor league options.

Left-hander Alex Wood, who tested positive for COVID-19 on August 30, is out of quarantine and played catch at Oracle Park on Friday. Kapler said Saturday Wood could throw a bullpen on Monday, but it will likely be at least another seven-to-10 days before the Giants will have a firm grasp on when they can expect Wood to rejoin the club.

With the regular season winding down, it’s unclear if Wood will have enough time to build up his pitch count and return to the starting rotation before the playoffs. Given his struggles facing hitters a third time through the order during the 2021 season, it’s possible Wood’s ideal role for the Giants heading into October could come as a pitcher who throws three-to-four innings at a time.