The Giants recalled outfielder Luis González on Friday, shoring up an outfield that’s losing LaMonte Wade Jr. temporarily.
Wade is hitting the 10-day injured list with left knee inflammation, the team announced Friday. That’s the same knee that bothered Wade and delayed the start of his season.
In 10 games with the Giants after making his season debut May 6, Wade is hitting .240 with a home run.
Meanwhile, González hit .349 in 21 games before being initially optioned on May 16. He has the highest average and OPS on the Giants. His most recent at-bat with the Giants ended in a three-run home run off Albert Pujols.
González was never long for Sacramento. He was among San Francisco’s most reliable hitters during his big league stint. Then upon being sent back down, he homered in his first at-bat.
The Giants optioned González because second baseman Tommy La Stella was ready to return to action. But demoting González was still one of the more difficult conversations Gabe Kapler has had, the manager told reporters.
“Those are always going to be challenging conversations,” Kapler said. “It is part of breaking into the league and establishing yourself as a Major League player and being a player with options. Of course I explained that to Luis, and of course he was a pro and understood it, and of course there was some natural disappointment because he’s a human being that played really well and was having a great time.”
Now the Giants, at least for now, will carry both La Stella and González. They preferred to roster 13 pitchers for their series in Coors Field, and can stay with that construction with Wade momentarily out of the picture.
If during the weekend a pitcher gets hurt or a starter’s scuffling stretches out the bullpen, San Francisco could turn back to the River Cats for more pitching depth. And again González could be the odd-man out. It’s part of establishing yourself as a big leaguer.