Longoria activated, will fortify infield
After the Giants lost infielder Wilmer Flores to the injury list one day earlier, it was even more important they get third baseman Evan Longoria back soon, particularly with the team lined up to face numerous left-handers.
Longoria wound up returning from a right finger injury before the key weekend series against the Dodgers even started, coming off the IL on Friday.
He was not in the starting lineup, but Longoria — out since getting hit by a pitch while swinging Aug. 18 — pinch-hit in the sixth and reached on an error.
“We made kind of a decision to ease him back in rather than insert him into the starting lineup,” manager Gabe Kapler said, adding that Longoria is likely to start Saturday.
“I think him being on our card today provides a boost strategically and also provides a boost of energy — his teammates really look to him as a leader.”
Flores, like Longoria a right-handed hitter, landed on the IL on Thursday with a left hamstring strain that is expected to keep him out much of the rest of the regular season.
“What we lost with Flores, Longoria can provide,” Kapler said. “You have a big at-bat later in the game, you have a big spot, and Longoria is seasoned and has been there and is the right guy in this moment for that.”
Infielder Tommy La Stella, who had been bothered by left side tightness, also appeared as a pinch-hitter and grounded out.
To make room for Longoria, the team optioned out Mauricio Dubón, who helped Thursday’s win with a sprawling catch in center in the ninth.
Robinson visits team: Former Giants minorleague outfielder Drew Robinson, who survived a suicide attempt last year but lost his right eye, was at the ballpark Friday; he’s now working as a mental-health advocate for the team and he chatted
with many of the players before the game and was scheduled to appear on the video board during the game.
Most of the Giants players and the coaching staff, including Kapler, were wearing “End the Stigma” T-shirts in support of mental-health awareness during batting practice. “You are not alone,” the shirts read on the back.
“There are things that are bigger than baseball,” Kapler said, noting that it is Suicide Awareness Month. “Part of the reason we’re wearing these shirts is to (bring) some attention to the topic, talk about what baseball players go through, but just as important, what everyone goes through from time to time, kind of getting beat down mentally. The more we talk about it, the more we draw awareness to it, the more people feel less alone.
“There are players in this clubhouse and on this team who have struggled with mentalhealth issues and that’s not unique to our team, is not unique in the industry at all.”