Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants officially added one lefty-hitting outfielder named Mike to their 26-man roster Wednesday and lost another.
On the same day Mike Tauchman was activated, Mike Yastrzemski was sent to the 10-day injured list, the club announced about an hour and a half before it finished up a three-game series with the Rockies at Oracle Park.
Tauchman’s corresponding move involved righty Gregory Santos going down, while Yastrzemski hitting the shelf meant lefty Sam Selman was called up.
During his pregame media session, Gabe Kapler said he was soon going to check on Yastrzemski, who was going through a warmup session. Apparently after the meeting with the outfielder and trainer Dave Groeschner, allowing more time for Yastrzemski to heal was the call.
Yastrzemski had strained his oblique Sunday, and the Giants believed after the MRI that in a best-case scenario, he could return in five or six days. Obliques can be tricky, and the most rosy outlook will not come to be. The addition of Tauchman, a lefty slugger who can play center and right, certainly makes the decision a bit easier to take. Yastrzemski’s IL stint is retroactive to April 26.
Selman, who impressed in 2020 (3.72 ERA), has yet to make an appearance this year. While his fastball-slider combination is solid, he becomes the fourth lefty in a lefty-heavy bullpen. Trading Wandy Peralta from that unit makes his fit a bit easier.
Kapler said playing Buster Posey at first base has “popped into my mind.” There are no plans beyond that, but if the catcher continues to hit .351, they would want his bat in the lineup more than two out of every three days.
“We’ve just got so much depth at that position and such good hitters,” Kapler said. “It’s something that we’ll consider every step of the way, but we haven’t taken any affirmative steps in that direction. But it’s definitely something that I’ve thought about.”
The Giants’ lineup features Tauchman’s first start and Evan Longoria (hamstring), who Kapler said should be able to play all nine innings for the first time since last Tuesday.
1. Tommy La Stella, 2B
2. Brandon Belt, 1B
3. Evan Longoria, 3B
4. Alex Dickerson, LF
5. Brandon Crawford, SS
6. Darin Ruf, RF
7. Mike Tauchman, CF
8. Curt Casali, C
9. Alex Wood, LHP
Mauricio Dubon was out of the lineup, although that is expected against a righty. Kapler said he and Ron Wotus have talked with the center fielder/shortstop since he crashed into Wotus while running a stop sign from the third-base coach Tuesday.
“We think that he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself right now, and that’s not allowing him to make the most free decisions on the base paths,” Kapler said. “One of the things that we talked about is taking the time to visualize the play unfolding before it unfolds. And sometimes that means calling timeout and pretending to tie your shoes for a second as you think through what plays might come up.”