Jung Hoo Lee (elbow) returns to Tuesday’s lineup

Lee will sit out a second straight contest with right elbow soreness after being hit by a pitch over the weekend. The 27-year-old outfielder isn’t dealing with any structural issues and should be ready to return at some point this week. He’s been a strong fantasy contributor in the batting average department, hitting .302 through 96 games. He’s also chipped in six homers and six steals as well. It’ll be Grant McCray in right field on Monday night in his place.

He’s not dealing with any structural issues, but is still feeling a bit sore after being plunked on Saturday evening so he’ll get a day off to rest. Grant McCray will start in his place in right field and will bat ninth for the Giants against Jose Soriano and the Angels on Sunday afternoon in San Francisco.

Lee extended the Giants’ lead in the third inning, highlighting a five-run frame with a three-run blast off Ryan Johnson for his sixth home run of the year. He then added a double in the fifth and was hit by a pitch in the seventh. The 27-year-old outfielder is hitting .302/.336/.435 with six homers, 51 runs scored, 37 RBI, and six steals across 384 plate appearances.

Lee has been in a bit of a funk at the plate, going just 7-for-44 with one extra-base hit over his last 12 games, so the Giants will give him a night off to clear his head. Drew Gilbert will start in his place in center field and will bat eighth for the Giants against Ryan Feltner and the Rockies.

Lee took over as the major league leader in average for a brief spell last month, peaking at .333, but he’s just 7-for-44 with one extra-base hit and one walk in his last 12 games. Given that he’s not big with the homers or steals, he needs to hit over .300 to be of any real use in shallow leagues. He’s still at .311 right now, but Statcast thinks he’s been kind of lucky. He currently has a .327 BABIP, but he’s not hitting the ball any harder than last year, when he posted a .291 BABIP and batted .266.

Since delivering his walkoff grand slam against the Nationals on June 10, Eldridge had hit second in 11 of the Giants’ last 12 games and third in the other. He homered again in the first of those games, but in the last 11, he’s hit .179/.319/.282. As a result, he’s back down to sixth today. Casey Schmitt is batting second, and Jung Hoo Lee has been moved up to third. Eldridge should stay in the Giants lineup against righties after Heliot Ramos is activated from the IL, something that’s supposed to happen within the next couple of days, but he’ll probably start doing some sitting against lefties. He could cease being worthy of a roster spot in shallow leagues.

Lee put the Giants on the board with the first run of the game as he took Aaron Civale deep for a solo homer in the second inning. He later added a base hit in the fourth and drew a walk in the sixth before stealing second. He looked to be a bit banged up after a collision on the steal, but remained in the game. The 27-year-old outfielder is hitting .331/.365/.470 with five homers, 40 runs scored, 27 RBI, and five steals across 285 plate appearances.

Rafael Devers and Lee went back-to-back in the fifth inning after play resumed Wednesday. It was Lee’s first homer since May 14 and only his fourth of the year, but he’s second in the majors with his .331 average.

His one out tonight was actually a liner to left with an .800 xBA. Lee went without an RBI, as the three guys ahead of him in the order combined to go 2-for-14. This is his fourth four-hit game in his last 11 starts, a stretch in which he’s raised his average from .268 to .333. He’s tied with Brandon Marsh for second in MLB in average, three points behind Otto Lopez.

Lee has remained hot since his 11-hit outburst at Coors Field over the weekend, going 8-for-14 in the four games against the Brewers. He’s all of the way up to fourth in the majors with his .322 average, putting him just behind teammate Luis Arraez in third place at .325.