SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Rival National League West clubs have already been hit by the injury bug, but the Giants so far have mostly been dealing with normal bumps and bruises that come with spring training.
Dodgers starting shortstop Gavin Lux is out for the year with a torn ACL, manager Dave Roberts announced Tuesday. It was also reported that Padres starter Joe Musgrove fractured his toe in a weight room accident.
The Giants thus far have been more fortunate. Still, they’re not completely immune. Mike Yastrzemski was scratched from Tuesday’s Cactus League tilt against the Padres with right knee soreness. Luis González will miss four-to-six weeks with a low back strain. Austin Slater is still dealing with a sore throwing elbow and reliever Tyler Rogers is scheduled to pitch Tuesday, but has a cut finger and may be unavailable.
“It doesn’t feel like something that is serious,” Gabe Kapler said of Yastrzemski Tuesday. “Feels like something that’s going to keep him out of action for a day or two.”
Yastrzemski was slated to play center field and hit third.
The Giants, as is typical, try to be cautious in spring training with injuries. That approach may also apply to Rogers, who was slated to make his first Cactus League appearance of the spring Tuesday.
González, meanwhile, is a different case. The 27-year-old outfielder told KNBR Tuesday morning that he suffered a disc bulge — similar to the one that sidelined him last season. He said the injury is in the same spot as last time, but Kapler said it’s in a different spot on his spine.
González expects to miss four-to-six weeks, but is optimistic he can be healthy for the start of the season.
The outfielder wore a heating and massage wrap to relieve pain in the clubhouse and is already doing core exercises.
“He put a lot of work in when he came into camp, really optimal physical condition,” Kapler said of González. “I don’t think he could’ve had a better offseason. By all accounts, everybody was really excited about him this year.”
Other notes
- Hall of Fame journalist Peter Gammons joined the pregame media scrum in Scottsdale Stadium. He recalled a story of the day Mike Yastrzemski first came up, he walked out with Mike and his grandfather, the legendary Carl Yastrzemski.
“It was the most emotional I’ve ever seen his grandfather,” Gammons said. “Actually broke down.”
Kapler countered with a story Mike shared recently of the Giants outfielder’s grandfather spontaneously asking Mike at the dinner table to show him his batting stance.
“Carl would say, ‘Get up.’ Out of the blue. Get in your stance and have Mike get up at the dinner table, get in his stance and he’d give him feedback on it.”
- Outfield prospect Vaun Brown is expected to make his spring debut on Wednesday, Kapler said. He recently took live batting practice against two-way player Ronald Guzmán, hitting the first pitch he saw for a line drive. Brown stole 44 bases last year in a breakout season in High-A and Single-A ball.
- Taylor Rogers is expected to pitch against the Padres, so even if his brother can’t go, there will be some Rogers action. The Giants have already thought about the best ways to deploy the brothers in a game, and Kapler said there could be an advantage in inserting them not back-to-back, but against the same hitters. If one batter sees Tyler’s submarine in the sixth inning then Taylor’s left-handed delivery in the eighth, it could be a tough adjustment.
- The Giants plan on carrying five outfielders, but anything is on the table, Kapler said. Four locks, if healthy: Michael Conforto, Mitch Haniger, Austin Slater and Mike Yastrzemski. Other outfielders on the 40-man include González, Heliot Ramos and Luis Matos; it’s unclear if the Giants would view LaMonte Wade Jr. or Joc Pederson as one of their five outfielders.
