SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater receives good news from MRI on elbow

SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater has been out with elbow discomfort, but an MRI confirmed he does not have a more serious injury.

Marc Delucchi | Mar 5, 2023

SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater receives good news from MRI on elbow /

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San Francisco Giants

SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater has been sidelined for the past week with elbow discomfort. However, according to a report by San Francisco Chronicle beat writer Susan Slusser, an MRI confirmed the medical staff's suspicion that his pain was not a sign of a more serious injury.

SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater. (2022) / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

"Austin Slater got an MRI on his elbow yesterday and it came back fine, no structural issues at all," Slusser wrote in a Tweet. "Just an angry nerve that needs rest, anti inflammatory treatment etc."

Slater has arguably become an overlooked member of the Giants core, and will likely need to have a resurgent season to help San Francisco return to postseason contention. Slater hopes to find his from from the 2020 season when he hit .282/.408/.506 with five home runs and eight stolen bases in 31 games.

Injuries have plagued Slater throughout his career, consistently forcing him to the injured list. When healthy, Slater has one of the best combinations of power and speed on the Giants. He is also a versatile defensive player, consistently grading out as an above-average glove in both center and right field.

Of course, Slater is at his best against left-handed pitching. While his career .255/.345/.402 triple-slash is right around league average, 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 southpaws.

The SF Giants obviously want Austin Slater to get back on the field as soon as possible, and the team received some good news this week from an MRI. While there is still no timetable for Slater's return, it's a positive sign that there is no structural damage.

Published Mar 5, 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).