San Francisco Giants' Mitch Haniger Taking Steps Towards Return From Forearm Injury
San Francisco Giants outfielder Mitch Haniger is getting closer to re-joining the lineup as the team battles for a playoff spot.
The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Haniger (forearm) is on track to begin a rehab assignment next week, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.
ANALYSIS
Haniger is headed to the Giants' spring training complex in Arizona to continue ramping up his activities and will soon test himself in a game setting. The veteran outfielder has missed more than two months after requiring surgery to repair a fractured right forearm, so he will need a good number of at-bats during his rehab assignment to knock the rust off before being activated from the 60-day injured list.
Unfortunately, injuries have been part of the story of Haniger's career. The 32-year-old is in his first year with the Giants after six years with the Mariners organization. He played in just 63 games in 2019, then missed all of 2020. He also only played in 57 games in 2022, but when he's healthy, he's been incredibly productive. He was named an All-Star in 2018 and hit 39 homers in 2021.
He's hitting .230 this year with four home runs.
The Giants enter play on Wednesday at 64-56 and in second place in the National League West. They've lost seven of their last 10 games but still maintain a hold on the second wild card spot in the NL.
They'll finish out a series on Wednesday with the Tampa Bay Rays. First pitch is 3:45 p.m. ET as Aaron Civale (TBR) pitches against Ryan Walker (SF).
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