The Giants lost both of their games in Mexico City, and also didn’t return to the States unscathed.
Both starting shortstop Brandon Crawford and starting center fielder Mike Yastrzemski are heading to the 10-day injured list after they got hurt in Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú. In those two losses to the Padres, the Giants got outscored 22 to 15.
To fill their spots on the roster, the Giants recalled utility man Brett Wisely and outfielder Cal Stevenson from Triple-A.
According to The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser, who is with the team in Houston, Crawford is hoping to miss the minimum amount of games and Yastrzemski avoided catastrophic damage.
Crawford left Saturday’s game in the fourth inning with right calf tightness. He didn’t immediately hit the IL, but the injury has no been determined severe enough to warrant an IL stint.
The 36-year-old shortstop has played in 22 of the Giants’ 27 games so far in 2023. He’s hitting .169, but with four home runs.
Yastrzemski suffered his injury late in Sunday’s loss while tracking a shallow pop fly. He said he felt his hamstring pop on the second step of his aggressive pursuit. He sprinted toward the ball anyway and came just inches short of a potentially game-saving diving catch.
Manager Gabe Kapler said after that game that Yastrzemski probably would’ve made the grab had he been fully healthy throughout the play.
Yastrzemski was off to an outstanding start to 2023, slashing .292./.333/.521.
Wisely is starting in Yastrzemski’s place for the series opener against the Astros in Houston. Stevenson, whom the Giants acquired from the Oakland Athletics for cash, has a .837 OPS in Triple-A this year. He’s a Fremont native who went to Chabot College in Hayward before transferring to University of Arizona.
Stevenson has primarily worked as a center fielder, both in the minors and in his 23 MLB games.
Austin Slater, notably, is not in San Francisco’s starting lineup Monday. He’d be the most logical replacement in center field, but elbow tenderness in his throwing shoulder delayed his return from the injured list and is likely impacting his ability to play the outfield.