Reliever Jackson placed on COVID IL

For the fourth time this season, the Giants used the COVID-19 injured list for a pitcher who is dealing with the aftereffects of the vaccine, with reliever Jay Jackson going on the list before Saturday’s game against the Rockies.

The move allowed the team to bring third baseman Evan Longoria off the 60-day IL without requiring a corresponding 40-man roster move. But the better news for the Giants is that Jackson did not appear to be feeling too awful Saturday, as he smiled and laughed while conducting a pregame interview in the dugout before the move.

The Giants also optioned infielder Thairo Estrada back to Triple-A Sacramento in order to make room for Saturday’s starter, lefty Sammy Long.

Other Giants pitchers placed on the COVID-19 list with vaccine aftereffects include Kevin Gausman, Jake McGee and Logan Webb; McGee and Webb missed two games each and Gausman four, so it’s likely that Jackson will miss only a brief time.

When Jackson returns from the IL, the team is likely to place newly acquired outfielder Luis

González on the 60-day IL; he is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

The Giants also will need to find a roster spot for reliever Reyes Moronta, who is on the 60-day IL with a flexor tendon strain and will finish his 30-day rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento in the next week unless he agrees to an extension of the assignment. Moronta entered Saturday having allowed two runs in 7 1⁄3 innings over nine outings during his rehab.

With the Giants’ positionplayer group back at full strength with the addition of

Longoria, Estrada might not be back until rosters expand in September.

Good cause: The team’s 13th annual Junior Giants Stretch Drive, established to give thousands of children the chance to play baseball and softball, ends Sunday. Those who provide $50 to underwrite a Junior Giants player for a season will receive a Buster Posey bobblehead. Go to JrGiants.org for information.