La Stella is placed on injured list with strain
Tommy La Stella, the latest Giants infielder to go down with a muscle strain, was placed on the 10day injured list Tuesday, joining another of the team’s second basemen, Donovan Solano.
Manager Gabe Kapler said that La Stella has a moderate (Grade 2) strain and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Solano is dealing with a moderate calf strain and is likely to miss at least another two weeks. Kapler said Solano is doing some sprinting. Solano played catch and hit in the cage Monday, so he is making progress.
Jason Vosler, who can play first, second, third and the outfield, was recalled from the team’s taxi squad and the Giants also added lefthander Conner Menez to serve as the 27th player for both ends of Tuesday’s doubleheader at Colorado. Vosler, signed as a sixyear minorleague free agent during the winter and placed on the 40man roster, is up for the second time; he collected his first bigleague hit on the Giants’ last homestand.
Vosler was at third base for the first game Tuesday, with Wilmer Flores at second.
“This team is incredibly deep,” La Stella said. “Anyone filling in is going to be more than qualified . ... Vosler and I are from the same area (New Jersey), so I got to see more of him this offseason and he’s a really talented player and he’s got a really consistent approach at the plate.”
La Stella and Solano aren’t alone with muscle strains: Shortstop Brandon Crawford has missed time with quad tightness and a ribcage issue, third baseman Evan Longoria has had problems with hamstring tightness and first baseman Brandon Belt had some quad tightness last month.
La Stella said he first felt some tightness in his left hamstring while running to third on his fifthinning triple, then really felt it give during his dash home on a groundout. He last had a hamstring injury in 2012, he said.
“There’s some frustration, but it’s part of the game,” he said. “It would serve me best now to put my attention on getting back as soon as possible.”
Outfielders Mike Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade Jr. are both on the IL with oblique strains and Alex Dickerson came out of Game 1 Tuesday with shoulder soreness.
Gausman to IL briefly: Starter Kevin Gausman went on the IL because of side effects from the COVID19 vaccine after receiving his second dose earlier in the week. He is not expected to miss his next outing. He’s the third Giants pitcher to go on the IL with vaccine aftereffects, following Logan Webb and Jake McGee last month; there is no minimum IL duration for COVIDrelated issues.
Joey Bart was recalled, giving the team three catchers for the doubleheader. Bart popped out as a pinchhitter in the seventh inning of Game 2.