San Francisco Giants' Thairo Estrada bats during the third inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday, June 12, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants received some tough news regarding second baseman Thairo Estrada on Monday, when it was revealed that Estrada suffered a fractured left hand.
He was hit in the hand by Adam Ottavino in the eighth inning of the Giants’ 8-4 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday night and stayed in the game, but the Giants placed him on the 10-day injured list before Monday’s series-opener with the Seattle Mariners.
The 27-year-old has been in a slump lately, but still checks in as one of the most valuable position players in the National League. He’s hitting .272 with nine home runs, 18 stolen bases and a .761 OPS while his 2.6 fWAR ranks 12th in the N.L. Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Monday that Estrada is playing at an All-Star level, despite being snubbed from the All-Star team in favor of the Braves’ Ozzie Albies.
To replace Estrada on the active roster, the Giants recalled Brett Wisely from Triple-A Sacramento and inserted him into the starting lineup at second base. Wisely, 24, was hitting .301 with a .958 OPS in 31 games in Sacramento. The rookie utility man is hitting .195 with a .547 OPS in 33 games with the Giants.
Estrada wasn’t the only player the Giants lost to the injured list on Monday as they placed right-hander Anthony DeSclafani on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder fatigue. DeSclafani has made all 17 starts this season while posting a 4.44 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings, but said after his last outing that he was “running on fumes a little bit.”
“A lot of players around the game feel what Tony said and he just said it,” Kapler said in New York. “There might be some people who criticize, but I think it’s admirable to hear a player just tell you the truth.”
The Giants also activated outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (left hamstring strain) from the injured list and inserted him into the lineup in right field. Kapler was asked if he’d have to manage Yastrzemski’s workload in the Giants’ last week before the All-Star break.
“Maybe,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a read-and-react thing.”
Also returning to the Giants lineup Monday was outfielder Michael Conforto, who had missed the three-game series with the Mets this weekend to left hamstring tightness. He’s hitting .236 with a .755 OPS in 71 games in his first season with the Giants.
The Giants went with a left-handed heavy lineup Monday against Mariners righty Bryan Woo, a 23-year-old who graduated from Alameda High School in 2018.
Alameda baseball coach Ken Arnerich said he couldn’t make it to Oracle Park for Woo’s homecoming, but he’d be watching on TV. He said he flew to Texas to watch Woo’s MLB debut on June 3, when Woo allowed six earned runs to the Rangers, one of the hottest teams in baseball at the time.
Since his debut, Woo has been lights out, with a 2.18 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings for the Mariners.
“I just feel so happy for him and his family,” Arnerich said by phone on Monday. “He deserves everything he has accomplished so far. He’s a great kid and there’s no one that works harder at a craft.”
Woo was mainly a second baseman under Arnerich until his junior year, when Arnerich realized Woo had a power arm. His senior year, he hit .422 while going 8-2 with a 1.25 ERA on the mound to earn West Alameda County Conference MVP honors.
“He was a very good hitter and had the best hands and quickest feet of anyone I’ve ever seen turning two (at second base),” Arnerich said. “He could’ve been an everyday guy. But he was throwing 92 mph his first year in college. When you’re throwing 92 mph, they’ll want you on the mound. And that was the best thing that ever happened.”
At Cal Poly, Woo had 6.49 ERA over three seasons and had to undergo Tommy John surgery his senior year. The Mariners took him in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft and Woo made quick work of the minor leagues.
Now armed with a mid-90s fastball and a sinker-slider combo, Woo is looking like a mainstay in the Mariners rotation.
“He had a live, quiet arm,” Arnerich said. “I told people, once he develops some kind of off-speed he’s going to be dynamite. He did. If he stays healthy he’s going to have a great career. It couldn’t happen to a finer kid.”
Making Monday night extra special for Arnerich is that his nephew, Tony Arnerich, is the Mariners hitting coach.
“The Alameda connection,” Ken Arnerich said. “It’s a baseball town. It has a lot of rich history.”
Originally published at Jason Mastrodonato