The Giants activated first baseman/corner outfielder Jerar Encarnacion from the 60-day injured list before tonight’s game against San Diego. Outfielder Luis Matos was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. The move bumps the team’s 40-man roster count to 39.
Encrnacion broke a bone in his left hand when he dove for a ball in Spring Training. He underwent surgery that knocked him out for the first two months of the season. Encarnacion had entered camp with a decent path to playing time, especially against left-handed pitching. He could pick up short-side platoon reps at first base from LaMonte Wade Jr. and figured to get a lot of run as the designated hitter.
Wilmer Flores has hit for enough power to establish himself as Bob Melvin’s top choice at DH. The lefty-swinging Wade has had a terrible season at first base, though. He’ll take a .167/.271/.271 slash line into play tonight. While Wade has never been a conventionally slugging first baseman, he reached base at north of a .370 clip in each of the past two seasons. The Giants continue to give him the majority of playing time against righty pitching. Casey Schmitt has gotten some first base reps as well. He’s hitting .195 with no homers in 15 games.
Encarnacion, 27, appeared in 35 games late last season. He hit five homers while slugging .425, but it came with a .248 average and a .277 on-base mark. His only previous experience consisted of 23 games for the Marlins in 2022. Wade remains the starter tonight against San Diego right-hander Stephen Kolek. Melvin conceded that he could cede playing time rather quickly if he doesn’t get on track offensively. “It’s going to be about performance here. If (Wade) starts to take off here he might see more playing time, and if not, you might see Jerar a little bit more,” he told reporters (link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area).
In either case, this remains an area to watch as the 33-26 Giants approach deadline season. Bryce Eldridge looms in the minors, but he’s still 20 years old and has yet to play a Triple-A game. Shayna Rubin of The San Francisco Chronicle wrote last week that the organization will get former top prospect Marco Luciano some first base reps in Triple-A as well. Luciano is only hitting .212/.335/.394 over 52 games with Sacramento, so he’s not an ideal option either.
Why send down Matos when you had room on the roster? Don’t understand that.
Room on the 40 man, not the active roster
I am a big proponent of the young guys. But he can’t look at his performance and think he should stay on this team until he is performing. He goes up with no approach sometimes. This from someone who really has had a hard time watching Yaz because of his failing to adjust.
Giants pitching has been exceptional this season, and yet once again they can’t muster a league average offense. It’s getting really tiresome.
Having exceptional pitching and having a record of 33-26 in June but below league-average offense is really tiresome… I don’t think this is HitTheBall, this is baseball.
I really think hiring Angel Hernandez as a hitting instructor was a mistake.
Jesse from Eureka, am I right?
Matos to triple A is a dumb move Melvin. Use him more. Replace Yaz and go from there.
239/338/378/716
167/211/361/572
Well Aware of the numbers. But a young guy needs to play. Matos was the only offense the other day and he goes down. Dumb Move.
I agree, a young guy needs to play, which is why he was the best pick to be sent down
He is going to play where it doesn’t effect a team wanting to compete primarily. He has no approach sometimes- that doesn’t get fixed here. It’s the big leagues get over it.
I get that it’s tough as a part time guy, but he’s had 485 plate appearances in the big leagues and has a .622 ops.
No Runs tonight. Yaz .120 over his last 15 games. I’d rather have Matos out there in a heartbeat. Learn the game. Use your eyes.
62 plates appearances this season. Hits a bomb in Detroit as the only runs batting 9th. And gets sent down because they’re not ready to cut Yaz and Wade. I’d rather have a free swinger up there right now. These guys don’t hit. Zero runs again and tonight !
Your Opinion. Me – I’d rather have a young guy up here swinging. The guys they have aren’t producing anything. Matos needs time up here consistently. Melvin will be gone at the end of the season for Bochy.
Managers don’t decide who gets called up and sent down
They write the lineup. They definitely have a hand. And I believe this one does when it comes to Matos not playing.
I thought it would be Schmitt, but then I realized my armchair management position couldn’t make that decision either.
Kind of tired of all the pure DH guys who can’t play a position defensively. The American League is at fault for bringing in that terrible idea. Now we have one guy who can hit but is useless to the rest of the team. At least pitchers had to go out and pitch 9+ innings and play defense and go up and hit the ball, too. DH can’t do anything.
Eldridge has in fact played in 8 AAA games. Look it up Mr. Franco.
Let me take a couple AB. I’ll show’em.
Luis “Toe” Matos at least won a game with a three run homer. Yaz hasn’t driven in a run in a month it seems and Chapman too.
Bailey,Wade,Adames, Chapman and Yaz are killing this offense.
I’m all for Encarnacion coming up, but I don’t agree with sending Matos down. Why send away the guy who has driven in more runs in a single game than anyone else on the Giants in over two weeks? And to send him down during their worst offensive stretch of the year? The guy just hit a 3-run bomb. That should earn him another start at least to help this otherwise lifeless offense.
Or you can keep Schmitt on the roster and watch him strike out flailing at ball four two feet out of the zone with runners in scoring position.