SF Giants: Michael Conforto leaves game with left calf tightness

The SF Giants may be missing another outfielder from the lineup after Michael Conforto was pulled with left calf tightness on Wednesday night.

Marc Delucchi | Apr 12, 2023

SF Giants: Michael Conforto leaves game with left calf tightness /

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San Francisco Giants

In the top of the fourth inning of Wednesday night's game between the SF Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, Giants right fielder Michael Conforto was removed from the game and replaced by Bryce Johnson. Conforto had not come to the plate in the previous inning, and without any clear strategic explanation for the early-game move, an injury seems like the most likely explanation. The team later announced he was removed with left calf tightness.

Conforto was one of the Giants most significant free-agent signings this offseason. While Conforto missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, he was one of the best outfielders in the National League from 2016-2020. So far this season, he has arguably been the Giants best all-around postion player.

The Giants eased Conforto back to a big-league workload this spring, and by the end of the preseason, he looked like the best position player on the team. Entering play on Wednesday, Conforto had a team-high three home runs on the season with a .237/.383/.474 triple-slash in 47 plate appearances.

A Seattle, Washington native, Conforto hit .259/.358/.484 with 30 home runs per 162 games from 2015-2020. In fact, Conforto hit at least 27 homers in a season for three consecutive years from 2017-2019. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Conforto hit .322/.412/.515 line with 12 doubles and 9 home runs in 54 games of the Mets 60 games.

While no injury is good news for a player, given Conforto's recent history of shoulder injuries, it's a positive sign that he was not removed with an injury tied to his surgically repaired shoulder. The veteran outfielder's contract also includes an opt-out after this season, which he presumably was hoping to exercise with a resurgent 2023 campaign.

With Austin Slater and Mitch Haniger already on the injured list, the Giants can ill afford to lose another outfield option, particularly a hitter as potent as Conforto. If Michael Conforto is forced to miss extended time, the SF Giants would likely recall left-handed hitting corner bat Matt Beaty from Triple-A Sacramento.

Published Apr 12, 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).