Michael Conforto had finally started to turn it around. After hitting .203 in June and faring only slightly better in July, Conforto was making more consistent, solid contact.
Over a stretch of 44 plate appearances, Conforto hit .395 with two home runs and a 1.083 OPS.
Then, he felt his left hamstring tighten up while making a sliding catch in Philadelphia last Wednesday.
Conforto thought it was just a cramp at first. He would’ve taken his next at-bat, but got subbed out for a pinch-hitter for matchup purposes. He was surprised when an MRI scan revealed a strain between Grade 1 and Grade 2.
“I didn’t think it was that bad,” Conforto said Saturday. “Got off the field on my own, almost took the at-bat — if they kept the righty in. Obviously left the game, did some testing. Was a little bit sore. Seems to be a little bit worse than I thought it was. It’s frustrating, but just take it one day at a time. Hopefully I’m not out too long.”
Conforto, 30, has been mostly healthy this year. The Giants signed him to a two-year, $36 million deal with an opt-out clause in the second season because he was coming off shoulder surgery.
The eight-year veteran is slashing .251/.343/.405 this season. He’s tied for the second-most home runs on the club (15) but hasn’t recaptured the same type of power he had between 2017 and 2019. His 106 OPS+ suggests he’s been about a league-average hitter this season.
Still, the Giants are a better team with a healthy Conforto. Especially now with him on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 24), their outfield is missing him, Mike Yastrzemski and Mitch Haniger.
Against the Braves on Saturday, SF’s outfield features rookies Luis Matos and Wade Meckler, plus the slumping Austin Slater in center.
Conforto’s injury came at the end of a tough road trip. He’s been working with the team’s sleep doctor to help him with some troubles sleeping on the road, he said, a problem that intensifies when he’s away from his family, traveling through multiple time zones and changing beds so frequently.
Trouble sleeping — and its associated impact on health and recovery — could have been one factor in Conforto’s injury.
Conforto said the hamstring injury he had in 2021 was much more painful than his current ailment, which could be a good signal that his IL stay won’t be too prolonged.
Conforto’s leg isn’t sore when he’s just walking around, he said.
“We try to not lean too heavily on scans when the first thing we want to treat is a player’s symptoms and how they’re feeling,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “Look, if he was ready sooner than he thought because he just felt much better, we’d probably be more responsive to that than anything else. The fact that he feels good is reason for optimism.”
A key with bum hamstrings, as Yastrzemski can attest, is to not rush too quickly. Yastrzemski is set to run the bases again on Sunday after his last effort to come off the IL stalled when he couldn’t sprint around the diamond pain-free.
“We’re going to have to make sure it doesn’t continue to happen, but it’s also interesting being at the end of the season and in a playoff race,” Conforto said. “So, I’m going to do everything I can to get back as quickly as I can.”
- Kyle Harrison will make his first start at Oracle Park on Monday, Gabe Kapler confirmed.
The main factors the Giants considered when deciding whether to start Harrison on Sunday or Monday was the rookie’s health and the matchup Atlanta presents. The Giants didn’t weigh the opportunity to let Harrison pitch in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Baseball.
- Ryan Walker is opening Saturday afternoon’s game against Atlanta. The Giants are 7-3 in games Walker starts, but each of those losses have come in succession ahead of the Braves game.
- The Giants are wearing special jerseys commemorating the San Francisco Sea Lions, who played in the West Coast Negro Baseball League in 1946.
In celebration of African American heritage, the team is gifting replica jerseys to a select number of fans at the game. They’re far and away the coolest giveaway of the season.