Injuries & Moves: Wood to IL; Beck recalled
LATEST NEWS
June 4: LHP Alex Wood placed on 15-day injured list with low back strain; RHP Tristan Beck recalled from Triple-A Sacramento
Wood said he felt his lower left back lock up after he returned home following his last start against the Pirates on Wednesday. Wood has dealt with back issues in the past, but he said an MRI exam came back clean, spurring optimism that he'll be able to return after missing the minimum 15 days. It's the second IL stint of the year for Wood, who also missed time with a left hamstring strain last month. The 32-year-old veteran has a 4.80 ERA over eight appearances for the Giants this year.
Manager Gabe Kapler said the Giants are still discussing how to fill Wood's spot in the rotation, though Sean Manaea, Jakob Junis and Beck could be candidates to provide length in the interim. Beck, 26, has a 4.10 ERA over 10 appearances with San Francisco and fired three perfect innings in his last outing against the Brewers on May 28.
INJURY UPDATES
10-day and 15-day IL
DH Joc Pederson (right hand contusion)
Expected return: June
Pederson was injured after taking a 94 mph pitch off his right hand while squaring to bunt against Arizona reliever Scott McGough on May 12. The Giants initially feared Pederson had suffered a fracture, but postgame X-rays came back negative. Pederson experienced lingering soreness in the hand, prompting the Giants to place him on the 10-day injured list on May 15. He went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly in a rehab game with Single-A San Jose on Saturday and is expected to be activated during the Giants' series at Coors Field this week. (Last updated: June 4)
2B Thairo Estrada (left wrist sprain)
Expected return: June
Estrada tweaked his wrist in his final at-bat of the Giants' series finale at Minnesota on May 24 and continued to feel some discomfort, prompting the club to place him on the 10-day injured list on May 27. The move is retroactive to May 26, meaning Estrada will be eligible to return as soon as June 6. He is expected to be activated during the Giants' series at Coors Field this week. (Last updated: June 4)
LHP Alex Wood (low back strain)
Expected return: Mid-June
Wood said he felt his lower left back lock up after he returned home following his May 31 start against the Pirates. The Giants placed him on the 15-day injured list on June 4 (retroactive to June 1). Wood has dealt with back issues in the past, but he said an MRI exam came back clean, spurring optimism that he'll be able to return after missing the minimum 15 days.
It's the second IL stint of the year for Wood, who also missed time with a left hamstring strain last month. The 32-year-old veteran has a 4.80 ERA over eight appearances for the Giants this year. (Last updated: June 4)
C Joey Bart (left groin strain)
Expected return: June
Bart played through some right groin tightness in April, but he began to experience a similar issue on his left side during the Giants' 7-4 win over the Phillies on May 17. An MRI exam revealed a Grade 1 strain, prompting the club to place him on the 10-day injured list on May 19. Bart went 1-for-4 and caught five innings in his first rehab game with Triple-A Sacramento on June 2. (Last updated: June 2)
RHP Ross Stripling (low back strain)
Expected return: June
Stripling recorded a 7.24 ERA through nine appearances before departing his May 17 start against the Phillies with low back tightness. An MRI exam revealed a Grade 1 strain for Stripling, who was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 19. He threw a 25-pitch bullpen session at Oracle Park on June 2. (Last updated: June 2)
60-day IL
LHP Thomas Szapucki (thoracic outlet syndrome surgery)
Expected return: 2024
Szapucki underwent season-ending surgery to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome on his left side with Dr. Robert Thompson in St. Louis on May 19.
"It's really disappointing," manager Gabe Kapler said. "Part of the reason that this one is especially hard is because it was hard to figure out what his ailments were. He was wrestling with different things at different times. Obviously, the initial rehab shot that we took wasn't working out to his satisfaction. We chose this route as the best for right now. Hopefully it works out well and he comes back throwing hard and feeling good." (Last updated: May 19)
OF Heliot Ramos (right oblique strain)
Expected return: July
Ramos, the Giants' 2017 first-round Draft pick, batted .262 with a .718 OPS and two home runs over 17 games with Triple-A Sacramento before he was recalled and placed on the 60-day injured list with the oblique issue on May 19. He will be eligible to return as soon as July 18. (Last updated: May 19)
OF Luis González (low back surgery)
Expected return: Second half
The Giants announced that González underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back on March 14, performed by Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles. The 27-year-old outfielder will likely miss at least half of this season, but the Giants are hopeful he’ll be able to return before the end of the year. He was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 30.
González showed encouraging progress during a checkup with Watkins in early May and is continuing with his rehab program. (Last updated: May 5)
C Roberto Pérez (right rotator cuff strain)
Expected return: 2024
Pérez will miss the remainder of the 2023 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair the rotator cuff in his right shoulder in Los Angeles on April 12. The veteran backstop started five of the Giants' first seven games behind the plate, but he exited the club's April 7 loss to the Royals after hurting his shoulder while attempting to throw out Kyle Isbel in the sixth inning. The 34-year-old returned to San Francisco on April 14 to begin his rehab program. (Last updated: April 14)