John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Tommy La Stella said he knew it would not be a “doomsday scenario,” but there is some frustration if not doom.
La Stella has a moderate hamstring strain that Gabe Kapler thinks will take 4-6 weeks to heal, the manager said before Tuesday’s doubleheader in Colorado.
La Stella first felt some “tightness” when running on his triple Sunday, then had to all-out sprint to run home, and his run became a hobble.
“It’s sore,” La Stella said Tuesday, when he was officially placed on the 10-day injured list. “So for now it’s just a matter of getting it to calm down a little bit, getting some of the inflammation out of there before we start doing some kind of passive range-of-motion type stuff.”
It will be a crawl rather than a dash back to the field for a valuable infielder and leadoff hitter who said he hasn’t hurt his hamstring since 2012. He joins Donovan Solano and Mike Yastrzemski on the IL, the top three hitters in their lineup against righty pitchers, although Yastrzemski may be able to return Friday.
Second base has been the Giants’ deepest position; Wilmer Flores, whose bat they want in the lineup anyway, was at the position in Tuesday’s Game 1.
Lefty-hitting Jason Vosler, who was called up with the corresponding move, was at third against righty German Marquez, and San Francisco’s infield depth will be tested. Brandon Crawford, who had missed two games with a calf contusion, “is doing fine,” Kapler said, and also was back in the lineup.
“This team is incredibly deep and anybody who was going to be filling in, anybody who’s on the field is more than qualified,” La Stella said over Zoom. “I think that’s one of the unique aspects of this team, is our depth.”
No one brings the bat-to-ball skills La Stella offers, though. He had started slowly after signing his three-year pact this offseason, but he still was working pitchers at the top of the lineup. His two hits Sunday raised his batting average 20 points, to .235.
“I was starting to feel better and more comfortable, seeing the ball better,” the 32-year-old said. “But it is what it is.”
As for Solano, he ran sprints and played catch and hit in the cage Monday, Kapler said. “He’s starting to move closer to running,” but he still is not expected back for a few weeks.