Kapler says older veterans will be getting more days off
Manager wants his players to remain fresh, sharp down stretch
SAN FRANCISCO » It’s been more than a month since Giants players began wearing, “Let the old guys play,” shirts, designed by third baseman Evan Longoria, during pregame warmups.
With fewer than 50 games left in the regular season and the Giants in the midst of a playoff push, it might be time to let the old guys rest.
At 72-41 entering Wednesday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks, the Giants own MLB’s best record in large part thanks to having one of the deepest rosters in the
big leagues. And with the club charging toward October, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said he wants to make it a “major point of emphasis” to build in off days for the team’s veterans.
“What I’d like for us to create for these guys is a schedule,” Kapler said. “Something that feels a little bit dependable so they can get regular rest and that way we can keep guys like (Wilmer) Flores, (Darin) Ruf and (Donovan) Solano getting their at-bats while giving Brandon (Belt) and Evan (Longoria) and Kris Bryant and (Brandon Crawford) occasional days off as well.”
The Giants have been diligent throughout the season in resting Buster Posey, who leads all major league catchers with a 4.0 fWAR despite having only 297 plate appearances. Posey’s 2021 slash line of .333/.428/.549 is nearly identical to the .336/.408/.549 line he posted when he won the 2012 MVP, but he’s appeared in only 74 games for San Francisco. He’s missed time with a thumb injury and sat out a significant number of days to keep his body fresh.
Kapler has seen what the benefit of rest and recovery can do for a 34-year-old such as Posey and he knows there are others on the roster who can maintain high levels of productivity with an extra day off on occasion. In the coming weeks, 34-year-old shortstop Brandon Crawford, 33-year-old first baseman
Brandon Belt and even soonto-be 31-year-old outfielder Mike Yastrzemski could be out of the lineup more than they have been when healthy and available to play.
“You’ll see on this homestand there are going to be some guys who get days off even if they’re swinging the bat really well, and that’s all in an effort to preserve their energy going forward,” Kapler said.
Longoria has missed more than two months with a left shoulder injury, but he should be activated from the 60-day injured list any day, which will give the Giants a full complement of healthy infielders for the first time since late April.
After seeing the quality atbats Belt and infielder Tommy La Stella provided upon returning from lengthy IL stints last week, Kapler says he believes some of the success each have had can be attributed to taking both a mental and physical break from the grind of a demanding schedule.
“We are very focused on keeping our position players healthy and as fresh as possible down the stretch now that we’ve got a nearly full roster and what we envisioned when the season began, particularly when (Longoria) gets back,” Kapler said. “I personally think one fair correlation to some of these guys coming back and swinging the bat well is they just got a blow. They weren’t grinding every single day, fighting every single day and concentrating every single day.”
It might initially sound counterintuitive for a team looking to fend off the Dodgers and Padres in a race for the National League West title to rest its best players more often, but Kapler says there are multiple ways this approach can help his club.
By keeping players such as Posey, Crawford and Belt off their feet for a day, the Giants can expect them to be more productive when they’re back in the lineup. Players who see their at-bats reduced due to the Giants having a roster full of healthy position players such as Darin Ruf, Alex Dickerson and LaMonte Wade Jr. will also be able to stay in the lineup on a semi-regular basis that will enable them to keep their timing and rhythm. CUETO PLACED ON INJURED LIST » A Giants rotation that’s already missing one starter lost another due to injury. The club placed right-hander Johnny Cueto on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Aug. 9 with a right flexor strain and recalled infielder Thairo Estrada.
Cueto’s absence will overlap with that of right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, who is on the injured list with shoulder fatigue, but only briefly. The Giants anticipate DeSclafani will return and start Friday against Colorado.
Kapler described Cueto’s flexor strain as “mild” and said the hope was the veteran would miss only one start, but the club may be able to give him two starts off while keeping the rotation on regular rest.