SF Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. returns to lineup on Saturday

The SF Giants will welcome first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. back to their lineup on Saturday. Wade has not played since September 25th with a thumb injury

Marc Delucchi | Oct 1, 2022

SF Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. returns to lineup on Saturday /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants will have LaMonte Wade Jr. back in their lineup on Saturday, with Wade set to bat second and play first base against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Wade has been out since September 25th with a thumb injury. He almost returned to the field on Friday but was scratched from the lineup because of his thumb. Early Saturday morning, though, Wade told reporters he is ready to play again.

This season, Wade has dealt with a series of injuries and has struggled to find a rhythm at the plate. He has played in 72 games this season and is hitting .193/.296/.356 with eight home runs. He does have above-average walk (10.6%) and strikeout (20.9%) rates this season but has been unable to turn that into solid production.

SF Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. connects with a pitch and sends it into right field. (2022) — D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants acquired Wade in a trade with the Twins before last season in exchange for right-handed pitcher Shaun Anderson. In 2021, he was a sensation for the Giants. Nicknamed "Late Night LaMonte" for his penchant for clutch hits late in games, Wade was an excellent platoon bat against right-handed pitching. He hit .253/.326/.482 with 18 home runs in 109 games (381 plate appearances) for the Giants last season.

The Giants have been waiting for Wade to rekindle his 2021 offensive success this season, but despite some sparse standout performances, he has consistently struggled all season long. While injuries could be driving Wade's limited power, the Giants could be contemplating moving on from the 28-year-old corner bat if he's unable to finish the season strong.

The SF Giants will have LaMonte Wade Jr. back in the lineup on Saturday after missing most of the past week with a thumb injury. Wade will face off against the Diamondbacks and look to finish the season strong as he tries to build some positive momentum that he can carry into the 2023 season.

Published Oct 1, 2022

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).