Yaz back, but Dickerson goes to IL
While two players came off the injured list Friday for the Giants, one went onto it.
It has been that kind of year, but the team welcomed back a significant contributor, right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, who has been out since April 25 with an oblique strain. The Giants’ No. 2 hitter was not in the lineup against the Padres and lefty starter Blake Snell, but was available off the bench, and manager Gabe Kapler said Yastrzemski will start Saturday and Sunday.
Another outfielder, Alex Dickerson, went onto the IL with a bruised shoulder. It’s listed as a shoulder impingement, but Kapler said the hope is that Dickerson will be available as soon as he is eligible to return, which is May 16.
The team also welcomed back reliever Jarlin García, who missed a month with left knee tendinitis. The Giants did not need to make a roster move for Garcia because catcher Joey Bart was sent to TripleA Sacramento after Wednesday’s game.
However, the team will have to make a move to get Saturday’s starting pitcher,
Kevin Gausman, off the IL; Gausman has been out since Tuesday with the aftereffects of his second dose of the COVID19 vaccine.
With Johnny Cueto’s return from the IL, after missing three weeks with a lat strain, to go along with Gausman making his scheduled start,
the team will have to move one member of the rotation into the bullpen — presumably Logan Webb, who worked briefly in relief before Cueto’s injury. Kapler said that no starters were moving into the bullpen Friday, but left it at that.
The team also will need to
make a roster move to get Cueto back Sunday, and recent callups Sam Selman and Zack Littell might be at risk of losing spots, especially with Garcia back and Webb likely to join the pen’s ranks. Some relievers who have been inconsistent include slider specialist Matt Wisler and rookie Camilo Doval; Doval has shown devastating stuff, though, and he has been pushed into some highleverage situations that went south but has otherwise been impressive.
There is always the possibility that the Giants could demote Webb, but they had liked the idea of the righthander working as a long man — almost as a piggyback starter, a la Cincinnati’s Tejay Antone — to provide extra rest for the bullpen once or twice a week. Briefly: Tyler Beede (Tommy John surgery) made his first rehab start at TripleA Sacramento on Thursday and struck out two of the three batters he faced . ... Bart and Thairo Estrada homered in the River Cats’ 81 win over Stockton, and Estrada had a fourhit night . ... Heliot Ramos hit a threerun homer for DoubleA Richmond, and 6foot11 pitcher Sean Hjelle delivered an RBI single in his first pro plate appearance to help fuel a 126 win over Hartford.