The Giants are getting center fielder Mike Yastrzemski back, but his return from the injured list is coming at a cost as designated hitter Joc Pederson is hitting the IL.
Right when one player gets healthy, it seems like another gets banged up. Although San Francisco has avoided catastrophic injuries so far, Yastrzemski, Pederson, Brandon Crawford, Austin Slater, Brandon Crawford, Alex Wood and Joey Bart have each been placed on the injured list at various times 40 games into the season.
“We’ve had a lot of moving pieces to start the year, too,” Yastrzemski told KNBR.com pregame, before the move became official. “That’s never easy. We still haven’t played as a whole roster as we intended to, not that it’s an excuse, but it’s just something that we’ve had to try to deal with.”
Yastrzemski, who was reinstated from the injured list Monday and scheduled to start Tuesday and Wednesday, hasn’t played since April 30. That game, he appeared to suffer a significant hamstring injury while spring to a flare in shallow center field, but was later diagnosed with just a Grade 1 strain. Pederson, meanwhile, will miss his third consecutive game on Monday with a right hand contusion.
Pederson’s 10-day IL stint is retroactive to May 13, the day after he got hit in the hand by a pitch.
Losing Pederson for this week’s series against Philadelphia hurts the Giants in particular. Including Monday’s opener, the Giants are set to see three right-handed starting pitchers. The designated hitter has a .866 OPS against righties this season.
Yastrzemski, meanwhile, was putting together a strong season in center field before his hamstring injury. In 25 games, the veteran is hitting .292 with five home runs. His .854 OPS is the highest in his career since the 2020 season in which he garnered down-ballot MVP votes.
Bryce Johnson is starting in Yastrzemski’s spot in center field, with Yastrzemski slated to play in the second and third game of the Philadelphia series.
The only other player now, in addition to Pederson, on the Giants’ 10-day injured list is Austin Slater (hamstring). Kapler said right-handed reliever Luke Jackson is a “strong possibility” to return in two weeks when he’s eligible to come off the 60-day IL. Jackson threw a scoreless nine-pitch inning in a rehab assignment at San Jose and is scheduled to pitch again Wednesday, the reliever said.