SF Giants place RHP Anthony DeSclafani on IL, activate OF Mike Yastrzemski

The SF Giants activated outfielder Mike Yastrzemski from the IL, but right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafani replaced him.

Marc Delucchi | Jul 3, 2023

SF Giants place RHP Anthony DeSclafani on IL, activate OF Mike Yastrzemski /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants activated outfielder Mike Yastrzemski from the injured list on Monday, infusing manager Gabe Kapler's lineup with a much-needed reinforcement prior to the Giants' final series before the All-Star break. However, the Giants placed right-handed starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to July 2nd) with right shoulder fatigue in his place. Yastrzemski has been out since June 23rd when he was placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.

SF Giants right fielder Mike Yastrzemski watches his three-run home run against the San Diego Padres for a walk-off win during the tenth inning at Oracle Park on June 19, 2023. — SF Giants OF Mike Yastrzemski watches his walk-off homer against the Padres. (2023) / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Yaz had hoped to avoid a stint on the injured list because the injury was fairly mild, but the Giants opted to give him some extra rest. Yastrzemski appeared in a pair of games at Triple-A Sacramento on a rehab assignment, going 0-for-5 with two walks, a hit batsman, and four strikeouts across two games.

Yastrzemski has hit .259/.324/.482 with 12 doubles, a triple, and ten home runs in 55 games this season. Yaz has arguably been the Giants' most consistent player since he joined the team in 2019. In fact, he is the only player on the roster who has hit double-digit home runs in each of the past five seasons. However, as has been the case for many players on the Giants, Yastrzemski has struggled to stay on the field this season and has already had a couple of stints on the injured list with hamstring injuries.

Any injury for a pitcher, particularly on their throwing shoulder, is a notable cause for concern. Granted, the 33-year-old DeSclafani does not have a notable history of arm injuries. DeSclafani has faded after an excellent start to the season. He has a 4.44 ERA (4.12 FIP) in 17 starts with 72 strikeouts and 18 walks in 93.1 innings pitched this season. However, he has a 6.02 ERA (4.68 FIP) over his last 11 appearances. The Giants have also been limiting his workload recently. In fact, he threw just 55 pitches in his most recent start.

The SF Giants continue hoping to get healthy, but the nature of a 162-game season makes that notion often impossible. On Monday, Kapler will be happy to welcome Mike Yastrzemski back to the lineup, but will have to make do without Anthony DeSclafani for the next two weeks.

Published Jul 3, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).