San Francisco Giants' Thairo Estrada (39) heads to home plate to score a run off of a single hit by San Francisco Giants' J.D. Davis (7) against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, June 25, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ biggest midseason upgrade arrived Saturday: Thairo Estrada was activated from a monthlong stint on the injured list.
The Giants, in desperate need of a jolt to their lineup, added Estrada to the roster Saturday before the start of their two-game Bay Bridge series in Oakland. Left-handed-hitting infielder Isan Díaz was optioned back to Triple-A Sacramento.
Since Estrada fractured his hand on an errant pitch on July 2, the Giants went 15-11. But they averaged only 3.3 runs per game.
Estrada, worth 2.6 Wins Above Replacement, was the Giants’ most valuable position players when he hit the IL. His 18 stolen bases still pace the team, while his .761 OPS this season would be better than any regular but Wilmer Flores over the past month.
In four rehab games at Triple-A Sacramento, Estrada went 1-for-11, most recently playing seven innings at second base Friday.
Manager Gabe Kapler didn’t hesitate to place Estrada back at the top of the lineup. He was batting second, playing second base.
Kapler and Estrada will address reporters in the next couple hours.
Check back for updates.
Originally published at Evan Webeck