The Giants will be without their leader in home runs for at least the next week, as Joc Pederson has been diagnosed with a concussion.
The All-Star has been placed on the 7-day injured list. In his place, infielder Jason Vosler was recalled and is starting at third base against right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman.
Pederson’s injury occurred when he tried to rob Patrick Wisdom’s two-run home run in the seventh inning of the Giants’ 4-2 win on Thursday.
“I thought i was pretty close to it,” Pederson said. “Thought I should’ve caught it.”
Pederson carshed into the wall and looked shaken up afterwards. He finished out the inning and he and the Giants considered keeping him in the game, but the training staff intervened.
“I think we thought he might be able to stay in the game, and then I think we all kind of thought better of it,” manager Gabe Kapler said Friday. “Whenever there’s concussion stuff, or even the potential of a concussion, we have to be cognizant of the long-term effects of that.”
Pederson has suffered one other concussion in his life, he said, in 2017 when he collided in the outfield with Yasiel Puig. That crash also caused a severe shoulder injury, which took some attention away from his head but complicated his recovery.
This time, Pederson is only dealing with head pain. He said Friday he had a “little headache.”
The IL stint comes during Pederson’s worst stretch of the season. In 16 July games, he’s hitting .133 with a .221 on-base percentage. His last home run came on June 25.
Kapler said he thinks Pederson’s timing at the plate has been off, something that can change in an instant.
“I’m very confident he’s going to finish this season pretty strong,” Kapler said.
- Brandon Crawford is getting closer to a rehab assignment, and Kapler said Thursday was his best day yet. The shortstop is recovering from an ongoing knee issue stemming from a June collision at home plate.
- Bullpen/catching coach Craig Albernaz told KNBR that he enjoyed his first game in the dugout on Thursday. Though he’ll miss some of the characters in the bullpen — Dominic Leone, Tyler Rogers and John Brebbia in particular keep things light — there’s value in being able to work in-game with Joey Bart. Albernaz and Bart talked through some defensive cues and broke down some pitch calling strategies for pinch hitting scenarios. One fan from the Gotham Club, who banters with the bullpen, printed Albernaz t-shirt jerseys. “Guy gets promoted, now he gets shirts!” Leone joked.
- Curt Casali still isn’t feeling totally comfortable as he rehabs from his oblique strain, Kapler said. In two rehab games, Casali has gone 0-for-5 with five strikeouts.
- Cubs manager David Ross apologized for his “double birds” gesture during Thursday’s game. Ross declined to identify which Giant he was saluting, but possible victims of his middle fingers include Joc Pederson, Tommy La Stella and Andrew Bailey.
- Will Clark’s jersey retirement ceremony is tomorrow. The ceremony is set to include Barry Bonds, Buster Posey, Bruce Bochy and others.
