Veteran infielder Tommy La Stella had not one, but two operations on his Achilles tendons this past fall.
The Giants had announced in late October that La Stella underwent surgery on his left Achilles. The operation, the team said, was done in Green Bay, Wisconsin by Dr. Robert Anderson. It carried an approximate four-month recovery timetable.
But in fact, La Stella had work done on both of his legs.
Manager Gabe Kapler confirmed to reporters in San Diego Monday that La Stella’s offseason featured two procedures. The news comes a day after Kapler mentioned La Stella’s two surgeries in passing when asked why his locker had already been cleaned out.
“Nothing new to report on Tommy,” Kapler said Sunday. “Tommy went on the IL and he’s not here with the ball club. But he’s still very much a part of the team. The last conversation was as you’d might expect: let’s get ready for 23, work your ass off and put yourself in a position to be a great baseball player for the Giants next year.”
To get to that point, Kapler said, La Stella must rediscover the plate discipline prowess that motivated the Giants to sign him to a three-year contract.
But more than anything, he’ll need to get his feet under him. This year, La Stella was physically unable to help the Giants on the dirt. He played 20 innings at second base — his primary position — and made 38 of his 47 starts at designated hitter. For a team that already had several defensive liabilities for the DH spot, giving La Stella those at-bats was untenable.
“Tuning up the athleticism as much as he possibly can do,” Kapler said. “I think part of that was he had two pretty significant surgeries this past offseason on both Achilles tendons. It’s hard to build — we talk a lot about foundation, foundation for 23 — his foundation for 2022 wasn’t especially stable.”
When he was in the lineup, La Stella was ineffective. He hit .239 with two home runs in 195 plate appearances. His 78 OPS+ (100 is league average) was the worst of his nine-year career.
The Giants owe La Stella $11.5 million next season. All those zeroes will hit La Stella’s bank account regardless of whether the Giants deem him worthy of a roster spot.
