Heliot Ramos (quad) expected back within days

Ramos has played in just 70 games this season due to injuries and is slashing .267/.304/.436 with nine home runs, 34 RBI, and two steals. He has hit at least 20 home runs in two straight seasons but has yet to truly put together a great full season. Still, he is just 26 years old and is under team control through arbitration for three more years, so he would likely bring back a recent return if the Giants do decide to move him.

Ramos’s ninth-inning single off Andrew Vaughn gave him his third career four-hit game. After a nice first half of July, he had been cold in hitting .174 with one extra-base hit and a 15/1 K/BB in 48 plate appearances since the All-Star break. There’s at least a slim chance that he’ll be traded before the deadline, since while he fits in nicely with the Giants offensively, he doesn’t really offer anything defensively on a team that isn’t poised to have any first base/DH at-bats available for the next several years. Most likely, though, he’ll stay and finish out the year as the regular left fielder.

Bericoto sustained the injury during Thursday’s battle against the Rockies. No word yet on how long he’ll be shelved for, but oblique issues are notoriously tricky and can tend to linger if not handled properly. Grant McCray was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take his place on the Giants’ roster on Friday.

Bericoto has a three-game hitting streak, where he has gone 5-for-12 with three RBI and a steal. He has also hit 14-for-37 (.378) with three home runs, six runs scored, and eight RBI in 10 games since becoming a regular starter with Matt Chapman (abs) on the injured list. It would seem like the Giants could find another hitter to give an off day to, but they will start Drew Gilbert in center field with Bericoto on the bench.

This would have been a three-homer game in most ballparks and sort of was in San Francisco anyway; Ramos scored on the triple to right-center when the throw got past the third baseman and went into the dugout. Statcast says the triple, hit a projected 399 feet, would have been a homer in 29 parks. Ramos later had an opposite-field homer, hit 349 feet down the right field line, and a 110-mph, 434 foot bomb to left-center. Even his groundout tonight was hit 112 mph. Just a week ago, the Giants were being slow to activate Ramos from the IL because of concerns about how he’d fit in with Casey Schmitt playing the outfield. However, those went away with Matt Chapman getting hurt, and Ramos has hit .313 with four homers, eight RBI and eight runs scored in eight games since returning.

Ramos hit a 427-foot homer off Zac Gallen, and his 373-foot triple would have been a homer in 13 ballparks. Playing time seemed like it might be a question after Ramos returned from the IL on Sunday, but with Willy Adames and Matt Chapman down and Casey Schmitt returning to the infield, he’s started all four games since returning. As long as he’s an everyday guy, he should offer a little mixed-league value.

Chapman has been able to tolerate the strain, but he aggravated the injury in the sixth inning against the D-backs and was forced to depart. If he needs to go on the IL, the Giants will likely stick Casey Schmitt at third base and give more outfield time to Victor Bericoto and Drew Gilbert.

Ramos had been sidelined since mid-May due to a quad strain. He looked good during an extended rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento though and will return to the Giants’ lineup as the designated hitter on Sunday against Chris Sale and the Braves.

Ramos walked twice, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances during his latest rehab contest. The 26-year-old corner outfielder could potentially rejoin San Francisco’s lineup this weekend or when they kick off an extended road trip against the Diamondback on Monday. He’s been on the shelf with a quad strain since mid-May.

Arraez was hurt when he fouled a ball off his foot on Tuesday. His return means Casey Schmitt is shifting back to the outfield. That’d seem like bad news for Victor Bericoto, but since he homered the last two days, the Giants are sacrificing some defense by sitting Drew Gilbert and playing Jung Joo Lee in center tonight.