SF Giants activate outfielder Austin Slater from IL, option Heliot Ramos

The SF Giants activated outfielder Austin Slater from the injured list on Monday, optioning outfielder Heliot Ramos in a corresponding move.

Marc Delucchi | Sep 19, 2022

SF Giants activate outfielder Austin Slater from IL, option Heliot Ramos /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants activated outfielder Austin Slater from the injured list on Monday, optioning outfielder Heliot Ramos to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move. Slater was first placed on the injured list in the first week of September with a dislocated left pinky.

Slater jammed his finger diving headfirst into second base during a game against the Padres on August 30th. The Giants thought Slater could avoid a stint on the injured list with a couple of days off. However, after Slater was limited to pinch-running and serving as a late-game defensive replacement for a few games, San Francisco placed him on the injured list.

Slater has arguably been the Giants best all-around outfielder in 2022. The Stanford alum is hitting .267/.378/.396 with five home runs and 11 stolen bases this season while grading out as an above-average defender at all three outfield positions.

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

Slater is still looking to recreate his fantastic 2020 season. In 31 games during the pandemic-shortened season, Slater hit five home runs with eight stolen bases with an incredible .282/.408/.506 triple-slash. Over his career, though, Slater has managed a far more average .256/.347/.399 line.

Of course, Slater is at his best against left-handed pitching. He has a .809 OPS this season against southpaws and has hit .285/.378/.464 with the platoon advantage over his big-league career. Obviously, Slater has been asked to play more regularly this season as almost all the other Giants outfielders have struggled.

The SF Giants recalled Heliot Ramos from Triple-A on Saturday, and he made some impressive defensive plays over the weekend. However, the 23-year-old outfielder continued struggling at the plate. He scored a pair of runs on Sunday but was 0-for-7 with a walk and three strikeouts in two games. Barring another injury, it seems like Ramos will finish the season at Triple-A, where he has hit .223/.303/.333 in 445 plate appearances.

Published Sep 19, 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).