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SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater begins rehab assignment at Triple-A

SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater has begun a minor-league rehab assignment with the Sacramento River Cats, suggesting he is approaching a return to the majors.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater begins rehab assignment at Triple-A
SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater begins rehab assignment at Triple-A /
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The SF Giants may be close to getting outfielder Austin Slater back in the team's lineup. Slater, who is currently on the injured list with a strained left hamstring, began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento on Friday. Slater started at designated hitter for the River Cats. He was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning but finished the day with two strikeouts and a flyout in his three trips to the plate.

SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater. (2022)
SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater runs up the first-base line. (2022) / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Slater has been sidelined since early in spring training with a pair of injuries, only appearing in three preseason games. So while the Giants would love to get Slater back in the lineup as soon as possible, the team will likely want to see the veteran outfielder have some success against upper minors pitching before he returns to the team. Granted, given the Giants' struggles against left-handed pitching and several injuries already in their outfield, they may expedite that process more than would be ideal.

Slater has arguably been an overlooked member of the Giants' core in recent years, perhaps because a slew of injuries have limited his availability. The Giants hope Slater can replicate his breakout in 2020 when he returns to the field. In the pandemic-shortened campaign, Slater hit .282/.408/.506 with five home runs and eight stolen bases in 31 games platooning against left-handed pitching.

Slater has always thrived against southpaws. His career .255/.345/.402 triple-slash is roughly league average, but the Stanford product has a .285/.377/.469 line with 32 doubles, five triples, 20 home runs, 71 walks, and 139 strikeouts in 640 career plate appearances against lefties. Giants manager Gabe Kapler will likely deploy Slater in a platoon with outfielder Mike Yastrzemski in center field upon his return.

The SF Giants have lost several top hitters to the injured list early this season. However, with outfielder Austin Slater starting a minor-league rehab assignment on Friday with Triple-A Sacramento, it seems like the team is close to getting one of their most potent threats against left-handed pitching back in the lineup soon.

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Marc Delucchi
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).

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