After a lengthy stint on the injured list, Brandon Belt has been activated for the Giants’ Tuesday night game against Kansas City.
Belt, 34, will come off the bench as San Francisco eases him back into action. The first baseman missed the previous 23 games with right knee inflammation.
“It’s been a bit,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “You might see him DH here and there, you might see some innings at first base and we may replace him in-game. Part of that is to just kind of give him more of a build-up without having to have a full-on rehab assignment.”
To make room for Belt on the roster, the Giants optioned Donovan Walton.
Belt had gotten the fluid in his right knee drained multiple times. This past weekend, he went through high-intensity conditioning drills on the field pregame.
In 26 games this year, Belt is hitting .228 with a .728 OPS. Most metrics paint him as one of the sport’s most productive hitters since the start of 2020.
“We’re choosing to introduce him back onto the roster because he’s a really valuable bat and defensive replacement at times,” Kapler said. “But also, we’re doing it this way because you don’t want to throw him right in there and ask him to play nine innings.”
In Walton’s 16-game cameo for the Giants, the infielder hit .161 but provided quality defense. Kapler mentioned Walton, along with a few other young players in the organization, as players who could benefit from forcing opponents to react to bunting — or the threat of bunting — to open things up at the plate. The manager cited this Fangraphs article as recommended reading.
Without Walton, Thairo Estrada will resume essentially full-time second base duty. When Brandon Crawford needs a blow, Estrada can slide over to his spot and either Tommy La Stella or Wilmer Flores can backfill Estrada’s void. The team’s upcoming off-day on Thursday provides an opportunity to go a bit light on middle infield depth, at least temporarily.
But the trickle-down effects of Belt’s return are secondary to his presence in the big picture. The Giants had missed their Captain on both sides of the ball.
- Alex Cobb, who’s dealing with a neck strain, threw 44 pitches against prospects Grant McCray and Vaun Brown in a simulated game Tuesday. Kapler said Brown, who has torn up Single-A San Jose pitching, slugged an opposite-field home run over the Levi’s Landing sign — near Buster Posey’s memorable NLDS home run from 2021.
Cobb threw all three of his pitches for strikes and looked good in the session, Kapler said. He’s eligible to come off the IL on June 19 in Pittsburgh. - Sam Long is a candidate to start Wednesday’s series finale against Kansas City. If Cobb and Anthony DeSclafani return as scheduled, it could be the last all-hands bullpen game necessary for a bit. SF’s bullpen bested Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers last Saturday when Long opened with three scoreless innings.
Curt Casali, who is dealing with a tight hamstring, is expected to catch Wednesday’s game. Austin Wynns is starting his third consecutive game and will catch Logan Webb Tuesday. - Middle infielder Will Wilson was promoted from Double-A Richmond to the River Cats on Tuesday. The 21st-ranked prospect in the system has eight home runs in 29 games in the typically pitcher-friendly league. Kapler said there can be some value to promoting a hot hitter from a tough hitting league to an easier one — like the Pacific Coast League.
Another note from the farm: according to one Fangraphs article, some scouts haven’t been impressed with catching prospect Patrick Bailey’s effort and athleticism in High-A Eugene. Catching coach Craig Albernaz, who has worked with Bailey closely, pushed back on that assessment on Twitter.
- Senior Director of Team Operations Abe Silvestri has made a joke name plate — typically with Photoshop — for Curt Casali’s locker in the Giants’ clubhouse for every game. An Abbey Road with Casali, Albernaz, Joey Bart, Buster Posey as The Beatles. Casali’s head on King Leonidas’ body from the “300” movie poster.
On Tuesday, it was a customized crossword with every Giants’ name hidden. The only problem: Yastrzemski was missing.
Mike Yastrzemski, Curt Casali, Dominic Leone, and others spent much of their pregame time trying to find the Yastrzemski, but to no avail. Eventually they concluded, disappointedly, Silvestri fudged the puzzle. - Matt Boyd’s Monday live bullpen session ended early due to elbow discomfort. Boyd has been rehabbing from surgery on his left flexor tendon.