The Giants have the longest active losing streak in MLB. That’s not where any team wants to be, particularly with the trade deadline one week away.
In their past six losses, San Francisco is hitting .156 as a team. The club is 1-for-24 with runners in scoring position and has scored nine total runs while dropping games to the Nationals, Tigers and Reds.
Their roster, depleted by injuries, has been running on fumes. But the club got encouraging signs that the team should get healthier in the coming weeks — and perhaps earlier than anticipated.
Outfielder Mitch Haniger, who’s been on the 60-day injured list since mid-June, could start baseball activities this week if he gets good news on his x-ray in Los Angeles Wednesday. Thairo Estrada (fractured hand) has hit off a tee for the past two days and took grounders on the Oracle Park field Tuesday. And Brandon Crawford is expected back on Friday when he’s eligible to come off the injured list.
That’s in addition to Luis González, who’s been rehabbing from offseason back surgery, who is playing seven innings in the outfield for Triple-A Sacramento Tuesday night.
For an offense that could use any boost, any or all of those players returning could be huge. Estrada in particular would be warmly welcomed.
“This is going to start to move quicker, which is obviously good news for any number of reasons,” manager Gabe Kapler said of Estrada.
Kapler said Estrada took strong, promising swings in the batting cage with a real bat after using a fungo on Monday. There’s no exact timetable for his return, but that will be determined in part by Estrada’s pain tolerance, Kapler said. Since the fractured hand is his glove hand, fielding might be the toughest hurdle for Estrada to clear.
Despite playing only 70 games, Estrada remains second on the Giants in bWAR (2.0) and is hitting .272 on the year. Without him and Crawford, the Giants have been ghastly thin in the middle infield, playing Brett Wisely and Casey Schmitt daily despite each being liabilities in the batter’s box.
The Giants still believe in Wisely and Schmitt long-term, but neither has provided any offensive value as rookies apart from a hot string of weeks when Schmitt first debuted.
Haniger’s news, meanwhile, is potentially just as promising. Haniger won’t be eligible to come off the 60-day injured list after undergoing surgery for his fractured forearm until late August. But if the Giants can get him back then without delay, they’d be thrilled.
If there aren’t any setbacks revealed in Haniger’s six-week checkup x-rays, he could start baseball activities immediately afterwards. He was the club’s biggest free agent signing this past winter and has played just 40 games, but the Giants are desperate for any right-handed hitting help.
“I think the good news of the day is a lot of rehabbing guys getting closer to returning,” Kapler said.
- The Giants signed each of their 2023 draft picks, with fourth-rounder Maui Ahuna becoming the last big-name draftee to ink a deal. They also signed four undrafted free agents.
- Athletics fans have urged Giants fans to join them in their protest of management’s decision to move the franchise from Oakland to Vegas. Fan groups Last Dive Bar and Oakland 68’s plan to pass out t-shirts and lead a moment of silence during Tuesday night’s rivalry game in a rally called “Unite The Bay.”
The Athletics are planning on playing next season in Oakland, and the 2024 schedule has officially been released already. So this won’t be the last time the Giants host the Oakland Athletics in Oracle Park for a Bay Bridge Series.
- Wilmer Flores is tied for the team lead in home runs with 13 after his scorching start to the second half. He’s hitting .406 with a 1.444 OPS in 10 games since the All-Star break.
Last year, the Giants signed Flores to a three-year, $16.5 million deal with a player option for $3.5 million in 2025. That looks like quite a bargain for the veteran bench bat.