SF Giants injury updates on Austin Slater, Joc Pederson, more

SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler gave an update on the status of several injured players prior to Thursday's game.

Marc Delucchi | Apr 20, 2023

SF Giants injury updates on Austin Slater, Joc Pederson, more /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants offense might finally be getting some reinforcements. While the Giants lineup has been depleted by injuries early this season, manager Gabe Kapler suggested several prominent players on the injured list could be nearing a return during his media availability prior to Thursday's game against the New York Mets.

"[Michael] Conforto is obviously back in the lineup today as our DH," Kapler noted. "Still not quite ready to play the field. Joc [Pederson] is a few days away. [Mitch] Haniger and [Austin] Slater aren't far behind."

Joc Pederson was placed on the injured list with a wrist injury last week, but Kapler's comments suggest he will not need a minor-league rehab stint before rejoining the team. Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater have both been on the injured list for the entirety of the regular season. With that said, both right-handed outfielders have begun rehab assignments at Triple-A with the Sacramento River Cats.

"They're doing well, " Kapler said about Slater and Haniger's progress at Triple-A. "Slater was back in a game yesterday in center field. That's a really good signal. We just want him to feel comfortable in all baseball activities, not just hitting. We are trending towards him having a good body of at-bats... Haniger didn't have much of a spring training. So we want to get him fully built up before we activate him."

Kapler said the Giants still do not have a timeline for when they will activate Slater or Haniger and downplayed the chances either would be activated this weekend. Slater has hit .333/.429/.667 in 14 plate appearances with Sacramento while Haniger is 3-for-7 with a home run.

Outfielder Bryce Johnson is now eligible to return from the concussion-injured list as well. However, Kapler said Johnson will not be activated today or tomorrow.

Johnson told Giants Baseball Insider that he underwent his first full workout on Wednesday and did not have any recurring concussion symptoms. Recovery from head injuries often does not follow a linear trajectory, but Johnson and Kapler sounded optimistic that he's trending in the right direction.

Published Apr 20, 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).