Victor

Bericoto

Bericoto is hitting .417 with just one strikeout over 45 plate appearances in Venezuela. Injuries prevented him from getting as long of a look from the Giants as he might have received last season, and he didn’t excel in hitting .241/.267/.420 in 116 plate appearances. However, he still has a chance to help as at least a platoon starter against lefties.

Bericoto hit balls 425 and 370 feet off Tarik Skubal tonight in his first start since returning from the IL. He’s probably going to play mostly against lefties over the final eight days, but he’s more interesting than some of the Giants’ current starters against righties.

Bericoto had been shelved since late August due to a bone bruise in his right knee that he suffered after running into the outfield wall in Boston. He’ll replace the injured Nate Furman (oblique) on the Giants’ bench.

Bericoto appears to have avoided serious injury when he collided awkwardly with the left-field wall at Fenway Park during Saturday’s game against the Red Sox. Still, he’s going to need some time off to rest and recover.

Bericoto left the game against the Red Sox after his knee hit the side wall in left while he was attempting a catch in foul territory. Initial examinations didn’t turn up anything serious, so consider him day-to-day for now.

Bericoto went into the wall knee first, but it was hard to tell if that led to the injury or if it was an awkward step afterwards that did it. It looked like an IL-type situation as he walked very gingerly off the field. Drew Gilbert replaced him against the Red Sox.

Bericoto gets his opportunity atop San Francisco’s lineup to face lefty Patrick Sandoval after Drew Gilbert spent a couple days in that spot earlier this week. The hard-hitting 24-year-old has homered four times in 31 games during his rookie campaign, but lacks the on-base skillset of a traditional top-of-the-order table-setter. Still, he figures to get some chances against left-handed starters down the home stretch.

Bericoto returns to San Francisco’s outfield mix after missing just over one month with an oblique strain. His path to playing time is much clearer since the Giants shipped Heliot Ramos to the Yankees at the trade deadline. The 24-year-old makes plenty of hard contact, as evidenced by a nearly 47 percent hard-hit rate this season, and he’s batted .293 (17-for-58) with four homers and one steal in the majors.

Bericoto has been on the injured list since July 10th with an oblique strain. With Heliot Ramos now playing for the Yankees, there is a good chance that Bericoto could see regular playing time when he returns from the injured list. He’s slashing .293/.305/.552 in 59 plate appearances with the Giants while hitting four home runs. He doesn’t walk much at all, but he has a 46.5% hard-hit rate and a 91.5 percent zone contact rate, so he will do damage on pitches in the zone. He just needs to chase a bit less.

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.