Tommy La Stella injured his hamstring in yesterday afternoon’s game. The versatile infielder had a great day offensively, going 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI. La Stella, who dove for a ground ball, returned to his feet in noticeable discomfort. Thankfully, he would stay in the game as it appeared that he had only jammed his thumb during a diving attempt for the ball.
But, La Stella got hurt while running from third base to home. La Stella pulled up gingerly on his left leg, hobbling across the plate. When La Stella left the game, Wilmer Flores went from third to second base. Evan Longoria came in as La Stella’s replacement.
In a press conference following yesterday’s game, manager Gabe Kapler spoke about his injured player.
“He plays so hard; Tommy shows you that every play is big. He’s diving for anything that he’s close to getting to and runs the bases so hard and prepares so well. That makes it even more disappointing to know that he may be down for a bit.”
The early diagnosis is a strained hamstring, but La Stella is set to undergo an MRI today. Judging by Kapler’s post-game comments, it appears La Stella is expected to hit the IL.
La Stella Joins Long List of Injured Giants
The San Francisco Giants haven’t received many breaks, with most of their infielder banged up. Earlier in the month, Donovan Solano was placed on the IL with a right calf strain, with no timetable for Solano’s return. A week later, outfielder Mike Yastrzemski was placed on the next player on the IL with a left oblique strain. Kapler is hopeful of Yastrzemski’s return to the lineup later this week when the Giants come home for a series against the San Diego Padres.
The injuries don’t stop there. Veteran Brandon Crawford is out, but he’s not on the IL. It’s been two weeks since he’s seen any action as he had originally missed time with side cramps. As soon as he got back into the lineup, he was out again due to a tight quad. Longoria has also avoided the IL but missed three games with a tight hamstring. Kapler is trying to ease Longoria back in the lineup to avoid reaggravating the injury. He has received instruction to take it easy on the base pads. In his first game back, Longoria played just two innings. He’s been getting plenty of rest and days off as he continues to nurse his hamstring.
Giants Also Hurting on the Mound
Much like the rest of the Giants’ pitching staff, starting pitcher, Johnny Cueto was off to a scorching start. Cueto has been on the IL since April 16th with a grade one lat strain. Cueto is, however, advancing well. Although, this is not the case for reliever Reyes Moronta. Moronta felt forearm tightness while preparing to get back into action for Saturday’s game. Ultimately, the discomfort has delayed Moronta’s return.
The Next Moves For the Giants
The season started with La Stella and Solano as the team’s one-two punch at second base. With both players due to miss time, the Giants have to make some changes. One move would see Flores take over starting duties as the team’s second baseman.
If La Stella heads to the IL, look for the Giants manager to recall Jason Vosler from the alternate site. Adding Vosler means he can slide third base to give Longoria time off when he needs it. Dubon figures to continue making starts at short as Crawford heals up fully. He can also slide over to the second base to give Flores days off.
It’s hard to tell if the Giants hit a streak of bad luck as they are dealing with so many injuries. But, the team is fortunate to have all of these injuries be minor. Despite the transition from a 60-game schedule to a 162-game schedule, injuries will be a part of the grind.
