Ahead of a critical three-game home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants made a predictable and highly-anticipated move, activating first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. from the 10-Day IL. But the corresponding moves were less anticipated, with the Giants announcing that both second baseman Thairo Estrada and first baseman Wilmer Flores would be taking Wade’s place on the 10-Day IL, the former with a left wrist sprain and the latter with knee tendonitis. In a final move, infielder Tyler Fitzgerald was called up from AAA Sacramento.
Getting back Wade, who hasn’t played since May 27, will be huge for the Giants. He’s been one of their best players this season, hitting .333/.470/.426, and being worth 1.9 fWAR despite playing in only 52 games. The offense is in need of a table-setter like him, and he slots straight into the top of the order for Friday’s series opener, hitting second, in between leadoff hitter Jorge Soler and three-hole hitter Heliot Ramos.
But losing Estrada hurts. He’s been one of the team’s most reliable players, appearing in 77 of the team’s 82 games. Estrada has been a bit below-average as a hitter this year, but he more than makes up for it with stellar defense, and both his clutch hitting and leadership have been on display this year. But getting him healthy is important: on a recent episode of the Giants Talk podcast, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic said he’d never seen a player in an MLB clubhouse go through as much post-game ice as Estrada has been using. And it seems to be impacting his play quite a bit: over the last 17 games, Estrada is hitting just 10-63 with one home run, two doubles, two walks, and 14 strikeouts. Hopefully he can rest up and reach full health.
Flores’ loss is less impactful, because the veteran righty has really been struggling this season. Perhaps he’s been dealing with a nagging injury and will return stronger after he’s had some time to heal.
With Estrada out, Brett Wisely is getting the start at second base tonight, and Fitzgerald is comfortable playing there. But it’s certainly worth noting that Marco Luciano has played at second base in his last three games in AAA, so perhaps the Giants have been doing some planning for this move, and maybe we see Luciano if he has another good game or two in Sacramento. And with Flores on the IL, David Villar’s spot on the roster is safe for a while, as he provides the only real insurance at first base.
Hopefully Estrada and Flores heal up and can provide strong play down the stretch. And thank goodness Late Night LaMonte is back!