Over the last week, many of Gabe Kapler's pregame sessions with reporters have started not with a question, but with the manager giving an update on the latest injured Giants. His update on Monday lasted over two minutes.
The good news for the Giants is that players who are already on the Injured List or rehabbing are doing well and taking big steps, but the big league roster continues to lose contributors. Mike Yastrzemski was the latest to go down, leaving Sunday's game with oblique tightness. An MRI revealed a "very mild" strain, Kapler said, and the Giants are hopeful Yastrzemski can avoid the 10-day IL.
Kapler indicated Yastrzemski is likely to miss five or six games, which is certainly a blow for a lineup that's also without Donovan Solano (calf strain) and Brandon Crawford (quad tightness), although the starting shortstop might return Tuesday. The health of the rest of the roster might determine Yastrzemski's fate. The Giants have been playing short for about a week, but Kapler said Yastrzemski is such a key bat that they're willing to carry him for a bit if it means avoiding a full 10-day layoff.
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"He's a pretty important piece of our team," Kapler said, while noting that the IL conversation is ongoing and will be revisited often.
The Giants currently have nine members of the 40-man roster on the IL, including five who have played in the big leagues this season. Kapler said Reyes Moronta (elbow) could return as soon as Monday. LaMonte Wade Jr. is taking part in live BP sessions and is getting closer to being an option. The biggest name, though, is still a couple weeks away.
Johnny Cueto will throw bullpen sessions Wednesday and Saturday and is scheduled to throw a live BP next week, but the earliest he would rejoin the rotation is May 9. Cueto has a lat strain, one of many soft-tissue injuries the Giants have seen this month. In addition to cold weather, Kapler said a cross-country trip last week could have played a part, and he said the Giants would continue to limit what veterans do before and between games.
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The best news Monday might have come for a rehabbing Giant. Tyler Beede threw his first live BP session since having Tommy John surgery and Kapler said it "went great." Beede is not eligible to join the big league club until the start of June, but he remains on track.
"I'm confident he'll be stretched out enough to consider him as a starter when he's ready to come off (the IL)," Kapler said.