Bader, Oliva placed on IL; Giants recall Brennan, Gilbert for outfield

CINCINNATI -- A pair of injuries forced the Giants to shuffle their outfield mix on Wednesday.

With Harrison Bader (left hamstring strain) and Jared Oliva (left wrist hamate fracture) both landing on the 10-day injured list, the Giants recalled fellow outfielders Will Brennan and Drew Gilbert from Triple-A Sacramento.

Bader had been out of the lineup for two straight games due to hamstring tightness, which he had been dealing with since the final week of Spring Training. The issue seemed to be hampering Bader at the plate, as the 31-year-old veteran batted only .115 with a .337 OPS -- the lowest mark among qualified hitters in the Majors -- over his 15 games with San Francisco.

“I think a little bit is fighting that,” manager Tony Vitello said Tuesday. “Fighting the rhythm of Spring Training, and fighting a little bit of literally having his legs underneath him. I think that's obviously the foundation or what's attached to the ground. It's your strength. When it's not strong or not 100%, it can affect things.

“It might be something that you could say on one at-bat or another, it probably didn't affect it greatly. But if you take the sum of the whole parts -- how he gets his work in, how he's feeling, how quick his movements are -- it’s probably detracting from what he is as a player. Because I think everybody agrees he hasn't done what he can do, not just at the plate, but on the bases. … He's an outstanding player and hasn't been able to show that.”

Bader’s IL stint is retroactive to April 12, meaning he will be eligible to return as soon as April 22 if he shows improvement over the next week. The Giants, who signed Bader to a two-year, $20.5 million deal to be their everyday center fielder, could have Jung Hoo Lee, Brennan or Gilbert fill in at the spot while he’s on the shelf.

Oliva is likely facing a longer absence, though it’s unclear how he broke the hamate bone in his left wrist. The 30-year-old started in center field in Bader’s place on Tuesday and went 0-for-3 with one strikeout. He was 1-for-7 through seven games, but he was viewed as an asset off the bench due to his elite speed.

Brennan, 28, and Gilbert, 25, are both left-handed hitters, which should balance out a Giants bench that had been exclusively right-handed through the first three weeks of the season. Brennan, who signed a one-year Major League deal in February, was batting .392 with a .938 OPS and one home run over 11 games with Triple-A Sacramento.

Gilbert was hitting .289 with a .789 OPS and one homer over 11 games with Sacramento and could help bring a much-needed energy boost to a Giants offense that ranks last in the Majors in runs, homers and walks this year. Gilbert showed he could be a spark plug after debuting in San Francisco last season, and he should have even more free rein to be himself now that he’s playing for Vitello, who also coached him at the University of Tennessee.