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Yastrzemski headed to 10day injured list, Giants add lefty reliever to bullpen
The Giants insisted their trade for outfielder Mike Tauchman on Tuesday wasn’t a reaction to Mike Yastrzemski’s recent oblique injury, but for the next week, they’ll rely on Tauchman to help replace Yastrzemski in the club’s lineup.
Prior to the start of Wednesday’s series finale against the Colorado Rockies, the Giants announced Yastrzemski was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to April 26 with a left oblique strain he suffered in Sunday’s victory over the Miami Marlins.
The Giants kept Yastrzemski active the last two days with the hope he could avoid a stint on the injured list, but with the arrival of Tauchman from New York on Wednesday, San Francisco elected to give Yastrzemski more time to heal.
Manager Gabe Kapler announced earlier in the day the club wouldn’t directly replace Yastrzemski with Tauchman on the team’s 26-man roster as the Giants initially optioned reliever Gregory Santos to clear a space for Tauchman, a left-handed hitting outfielder who is making his team debut in center field on Wednesday.
After placing Yastrzemski on the 10-day injured list, the Giants announced they recalled lefty Sam Selman, who was active for a day in Philadelphia last week but has otherwise spent the rest of April at the team’s alternate site or on the taxi squad.
Selman’s addition gives the Giants another left-handed option in a bullpen that was down to six pitchers following the decision to option Santos and Tuesday’s trade for Tauchman, which sent southpaw Wandy Peralta to the Yankees.
Kapler said the Giants would count on lefties José Álvarez and Caleb Baragar to take on some of the high-leverage opportunities Peralta had been receiving, but Selman gives the Giants another option as he posted a 3.72 ERA in 24 games for the club last season.
It’s possible Selman could stick in the bullpen for awhile as the Giants hit the road Friday for a six-game trip that includes stops in San Diego and Colorado. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said Tuesday the club always has to be ready to tinker with the roster during trips to Coors Field, which have habits of exhausting bullpens and depleting pitching staffs.