SAN FRANCISCO — If the Giants’ lineup began to resemble that of their Triple-A team as they called up fill-in after fill-in amid their recent string of injuries, well then this weekend they begin to return the favor.
The Sacramento River Cats’ lineup will be full of major-leaguers starting Friday, when shortstop outfielder Michael Conforto joins Austin Slater on a rehab assignment, and shortstop Nick Ahmed is set to join them a day later as the Giants’ contingent of injured veterans near their returns.
All three could potentially be activated on the Giants’ upcoming road trip, manager Bob Melvin said, though Slater may require more time than the others.
“Obviously with all the injuries these guys have, we want to make sure they’re ready to go when they get here and there’s still nothing lingering,” Melvin said. “We’ll see how long that takes.”
Out since May 11, Slater (concussion) has played two rehab games and gone hitless in six at-bats with a walk and one strikeout and has more work to do to get back in shape after being entirely shut down from activity while his concussion symptoms lingered for more than a week.
Ahmed (wrist) has been out since May 10, while Conforto (hamstring) landed on the injured list two days later.
Despite the absence of the three veterans, the Giants have played their best baseball of the season over the past three weeks. With contributions from Luis Matos and Heliot Ramos in the outfield and Brett Wisely and Marco Luciano at shortstop, they have gone 12-5 since Ahmed kicked off the string of injuries.
With Jung Hoo Lee out for the season — his surgery is scheduled for Tuesday in Los Angeles with Dr. Neal ElAttrache — Matos’ spot in center field should be secure even if he has cooled off some since his scalding start. And with LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) looking at a monthlong absence, the Giants should have no trouble fitting another left-handed hitter on the roster when Conforto is ready to be activated.
After committing five errors in five games, Luciano had begun to lose playing time to Wisely at shortstop before leaving Wednesday’s game in the second inning with tightness in his hamstring. On Friday, the 22-year-old rookie was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain, and Casey Schmitt was called up to take his spot on the roster.
With Ahmed due back first, he will get the first shot to reclaim the starting role at shortstop. He was batting .236 with a .564 OPS when he landed on the IL, compared to Luciano’s marks of .375 and .986 OPS in 10 games, but provided far more surehanded defense.
“A lot of times these things have a way of working their way out before you have to make a decision one way or the other,” Melvin said when asked about Luciano’s role when both shortstops are healthy. “It’s just getting some confidence at times which at this level can be tough for guys. Offensively he certainly has not had any problems with that. There’s just been a few plays defensively that can shake your confidence a bit. But he has the ability to do it. Just get him out there and get him a few games in a row where he’s confident in what he’s doing.”
Ray begins rehab assignment
A few rungs further down the minor-league ladder, Robbie Ray also began a rehab assignment that was an even longer time coming.
The 31-year-old left-hander is scheduled to throw one inning in a rookie-level Arizona Complex League game on Tuesday. Following a 25-pitch live batting practice session Thursday, the outing will be Ray’s first time pitching in a game since undergoing Tommy John and flexor tendon surgeries last spring.
“To actually get in games, that’s kind of the start of where you look at the clock and kind of envision when you might see him,” Melvin said, confirming the former Cy Young winner was still on track to return sometime around the All-Star break. “We’ll just see how these first couple of games go.”