SF Giants outfielder Bryce Johnson set to begin rehab assignment

According to SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler, outfielder Bryce Johnson is slated to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento this weekend.

Marc Delucchi | May 6, 2023

SF Giants outfielder Bryce Johnson set to begin rehab assignment /

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San Francisco Giants

During his pregame media availability on Saturday, SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler revealed that outfielder Bryce Johnson is set to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento at some point during the weekend. Johnson has been on the injured list since suffering a concussion when he slammed into the wall to make a diving catch on April 13th.

SF Giants center fielder Bryce Johnson sits on the ground after scoring a run against the Kansas City Royals. (2023) — SF Giants outfielder Bryce Johnson sits up after sliding into home plate to score a run. (2023) / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

"He's gonna go play in Sac," Kapler said. "So he's going to be on a rehab assignment, and we'll see how that goes. I think that's going to start today. Today or tomorrow."

Johnson was a surprising omission from the Giants' Opening Day roster after hitting.310/.423/.405 with a league-leading 12 stolen bases during spring training. However, he was quickly called up from Triple-A and saw ample playing time while Austin Slater and Mitch Haniger dealt with early-season injuries. In 10 games with the Giants this season, Johnson hit .150/.150/.300 with 10 strikeouts in 20 plate appearances.

Last season, Johnson hit .290/.369/.401 in 91 games at Triple-A with 31 stolen bases (36 attempts). He also received his first career big-league call-up in August. He hit .111/.158/.111 with a pair of hits in 19 plate appearances (11 games).

While rehab assignments are designed for players to work back into game shape before returning to the big-league roster, Johnson is in a unique situation. Both Haniger and Slater have returned to the lineup since Johnson suffered his concussion. So, had he remained healthy, Johnson likely would have already been optioned back to Triple-A.

However, Johnson benefits from continuing to accrue MLB service time by returning to Triple-A on a rehab assignment. Barring an injury, Johnson will likely be optioned onto Sacramento's roster after he utilizes the 20-day rehab period. It's a small move for the SF Giants but sending Bryce Johnson on a rehab assignment instead of an option will give him a nice boost to his pay.

Published May 6, 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).