SF Giants shut down OF Mike Yastrzemski after setback in injury rehab

The SF Giants will not be welcoming outfielder Mike Yastrzemski back to the lineup this week after he suffered a setback in his injury rehab.

Marc Delucchi | Aug 14, 2023

SF Giants shut down OF Mike Yastrzemski after setback in injury rehab /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants were hopeful that outfielder Mike Yastrzemski could return to the lineup this week from the injured list. However, the team revealed on Monday that he suffered a setback in his rehab process and has been shut down. Yastrzemski was nearing a return but felt some soreness in his hamstring while he was running, which led the training staff to shut him down.

SF Giants center fielder Mike Yastrzemski circles the base on a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 15, 2023. — SF Giants OF Mike Yastrzemski circles the base on a home run. (2023) / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

"Running is always the final test," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said during his pregame media availability on Monday. "You have this progression where you're running with good intent straight ahead, and then you run curves, and then you get on the bases. Once you're in that phase of running bases, you're days away."

Yastrzemski landed on the injured list with a hamstring injury for the third time this season earlier this month. When healthy, Yastrzemski has been one of the Giants' best outfielders this season. In 285 plate appearances, Yaz has hit .233/.314/.439 triple-slash with 17 doubles, a triple, and 11 home runs. Given how often Yastrzemski has had the same recurring issue, it's reasonable to wonder if he might be unable to return this season. However, Kapler pushed back against that idea.

"We've all been around seasons where players have had hamstring issues through the season," Kapler said. "Eventually, you get over the hump. That doesn't mean you don't continue to have hamstring issues because that's a thing, but I don't have any reason to believe he can't get healthy here in the next week or ten days and then have no more issues through the end of September and into the postseason."

With Yastrzemski out for a more prolonged period, the SF Giants will have an opportunity to give more playing time to some young outfielders. While Luis Matos was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, recent call-ups Heliot Ramos (Giants #24 Prospect) and Wade Meckler (Giants #7 Prospect) will look to take advantage of the opportunity while Mike Yastrzemski tries to get back to 100%.

Published Aug 14, 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).