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SF Giants OF Austin Slater 'likely' to begin rehab stint on Saturday

SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater is "likely" to begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday, per Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants OF Austin Slater 'likely' to begin rehab stint on Saturday
SF Giants OF Austin Slater 'likely' to begin rehab stint on Saturday /
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The SF Giants appear to be approaching outfielder Austin Slater's return to the active roster. Slater, who has been on the injured list since May 11th with a left hamstring strain, is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday, according to Giants beat writer Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle. Slater appeared in seven games at Triple-A earlier this season when he went out on a rehab assignment.

Slater has been sidelined with injuries multiple times this season, including a separate hamstring strain and an injury to his throwing elbow. When healthy, he has hit .368/.455/.421 with a double, three walks, three strikeouts, and two stolen bases in eight games (22 plate appearances). During his rehab stint at Triple-A Sacramento, he hit .333/.429/.556 with a double and home run.


A former Stanford star, Slater has been in the Giants organization since he was drafted in the 8th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Slater made his big-league debut with the team in 2017 and has been a part of the team's outfield rotation ever since. Over his career, Slater has a .257/.347/.402 triple-slash in 469 games.

While Slater's overall numbers have been reflective of a roughly league-average hitter, the Jacksonville, Florida native has always been far more productive with a platoon advantage against left-handed pitchers. In 653 career plate appearances against southpaws, Slater has a .291/.381/.473 line with 33 doubles, five triples, and 20 home runs.

Slater is also a versatile defensive outfielder when healthy, capable of handling all three outfield positions. Granted, the Giants have cut down his usage defensively as they have eased him back into playing time following his injury.

Speedy switch-hitter Bryce Johnson has been filling in for Slater and would likely be optioned when he returns to the active roster. Johnson is one of the best baserunners in the organization and is elite defensively but has struggled mightily at the plate. Assuming he is back to 100% when he returns, Austin Slater would likely return to a full platoon with Mike Yastrzemski in center field.

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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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