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SF Giants recall speedy outfielder Bryce Johnson, place LHP Alex Wood on IL

The SF Giants placed starting pitcher Alex Wood on the 15-day injured list and recalled outfielder Bryce Johnson on Saturday.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants recall speedy outfielder Bryce Johnson, place LHP Alex Wood on IL
SF Giants recall speedy outfielder Bryce Johnson, place LHP Alex Wood on IL /
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The SF Giants placed left-handed pitcher Alex Wood on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to September 1st) with a left shoulder impingement and recalled outfielder Bryce Johnson from Triple-A. While the Giants will need to make do without Wood in the rotation for at least two weeks, manager Gabe Kapler will have another speedy bat to deploy off the bench.

SF Giants outfielder Bryce Johnson taking a swing. (2022)
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Johnson made his big-league debut earlier this year but went 0-4 with three strikeouts before he was optioned back to Triple-A. Johnson has been a solid hitter in the minors this season, hitting .290/.371/.401 with 29 steals (34 attempts) in 95 games with the Sacramento River Cats.

The Giants drafted Johnson in the sixth round of the 2017 draft out of Sam Houston State. A speedy center fielder known for his ability to wreak havoc on the basepaths alongside excellent defense, Johnson has lived up to that reputation as he worked his way through the organization's minor-league ranks. He's a career .275/.361/.375 hitter with 141 stolen bases.

A switch-hitter, Johnson has shown significant platoon splits this season, hitting .330/.416/.523 against southpaws. However, year-to-year platoon splits tend to be noisy. Last year, Johnson faired noticeably better against righties than lefties.

Wood has had an excellent season according to most ERA estimators, recording 131 strikeouts in 130.2 innings while issuing just 30 walks. However, Wood has struggled with runners on base and likely been the victim of some bad batted-ball luck. He currently has a 5.10 ERA. Kapler told reporters that Wood has been dealing with the impingement for some time and the team will evaluate whether he will make a return to this season in a couple of weeks.

With Anthony DeSclafani already out for the season, the SF Giants do not have a clear replacement for Alex Wood on the big-league roster. With his next turn in the rotation supposed to come on Monday against the Dodgers, it would not be surprising to see San Francisco promote someone from Triple-A to fill in while Wood works his way back to the field.

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Marc Delucchi
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).

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