Wade returns from knee injury
With an offense that needed a jolt, the San Francisco Giants on Friday reinstated a man who provided plenty of late-inning energy last season.
They not only put “Late Night” LaMonte Wade Jr. back on the active 26-man roster after a rehab stint with Triple-A Sacramento, but they also put him in right field and in the leadoff spot to face the Cardinals and right-hander Jordan Hicks.
Wade had dealt with a knee injury in spring training that kept him from the big club until Friday. He went 5-for-21 in seven games with the River Cats, playing his final two games with the team Tuesday and Wednesday.
He was at Oracle Park on Thursday, but he and the Giants thought he would benefit from a rest day before returning to the roster.
“I just didn’t wake up too good” Thursday, Wade said Friday afternoon. “I played back-to-back in Sacramento, so I didn’t feel good (Thursday), but I feel good today.”
Wade batted .253 with 18 homers last season, and he earned his nickname with six game-tying or go-ahead hits in the ninth inning.
Manager Gabe Kapler said the Giants expect Wade to produce at a high level even after the knee injury “because of how patient we all were — the organization, LaMonte included — in making sure that he was fully capable of handling this workload out of the gates.”
Wade won the Willie Mac Award last year as the Giants’ most inspirational player.
Also on Friday, the Giants called up 6-foot-11 right-hander Sean Hjelle from Sacramento and sent pitchers
Mauricio Llovera and Sam Long to the River Cats.
Hjelle, a Kentucky alum who turns 25 on Saturday, was the Giants’ second-round pick in 2018. When he makes his debut with San Francisco, Hjelle will match former pitcher Jon Rauch as the tallest players in major-league history.
Kapler believes Hjelle’s height gives him an edge.
“It’s an advantage to be very different in the major leagues,” Kapler said. “It’s part of the reason when you have a really unique arm slot, that takes a while for players to adjust to.”
Hjelle, a sinkerballer, thrived with Double-A Richmond last season (3.15 ERA, 69 strikeouts in 652⁄3 innings) before posting a 5.74 ERA in 10 starts with Sacramento.
He had a 4.37 ERA in five starts with the River Cats this year.
Hjelle said getting to the majors “is everything I could have ever dreamed of. I jokingly told Kap when I came in that it hasn’t really, really hit me yet. He kind of looked at me and was like, ‘Just wait until you put on that uniform. It’ll get you then.’ ”
He’s wearing No. 64. Kapler said Hjelle could be a relief option Friday night against St. Louis’ predominantly righthanded-hitting lineup.