OAKLAND — When Madison Bumgarner unleashes his first pitch on Thursday night, he’ll do so with Grant Green standing behind him at second base. He’ll be the Giants’ third starting second baseman in the last four games, arriving a couple hours before first pitch from Triple-A Sacramento.
Green’s call-up was prompted after Ramiro Peña sprained his left ankle Wednesday night, colliding with Mac Williamson on a shallow fly ball in right field. Manager Bruce Bochy estimates Peña will be shelved up to seven games, which wasn’t long enough to warrant a disabled list stint. That’s why the Giants (49-31) optioned Chris Stratton to Triple-A, bringing up Green just before playing the final game of the Bay Bridge Series against a hot A’s (35-43) team. Green had to be added to the Giants’ 40-man roster, prompting the team to designate right-hander Jake Smith for assignment. The Giants have been ambushed by injuries this month, and Green, even in Triple-A, was not immune.
Mac Williamson flung a bat that lashed green on the right kneecap, requiring four stitches to heal up. He’s played mostly second base in the past couple years, and he’ll make his Giants debut against an A’s team that drafted him in the first round of the 2009 draft. He’s hitting seventh, two spots ahead of Bumgarner (8-4, 1.99 ERA), hitting in place of a designated hitter against A’s lefty Dillon Overton (1-0, 4.76 ERA).
Bochy joked several days ago that he might consider Bumgarner hitting for himself in an American League park, but the concept came to fruition after the Giants third-straight loss on Wednesday night. The Giants’ ace had publicly campaigned about his hitting before, and the Giants announced he officially won’t participate in this year’s home run derby. But this was all Bochy’s idea.
“At first he thought I was kidding,” Bochy recalled.
But it’s true, and Bumgarner will hit in place of Peña, Conor Gillaspie, Jarrett Parker, Trevor Brown and Gregor Blanco.
Said Bochy: “Nothing against our guys, but he’s a pretty good hitter.”