San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski suffered a left hamstring strain while diving for a fly ball in the eighth inning of Sunday’s game against the San Diego Padres. On the play in question, Yastrzemski made a long run for a shallow Matt Carpenter fly before falling just short of a highlight-reel catch. The end hit resulted in a game-winning two-run double in San Diego’s 6-4 victory. After the play was over, Yastrzemski left the game following a visit from team trainers.
Speaking with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser and other reporters after the game, Yastrzemski said the injury occurred on the second step of his run. The outfielder will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of his hamstring strain, but a trip to the 10-day injured list certainly seems likely at this juncture.
After seemingly breaking out with the Giants in 2019-20, Yastrzemski was roughly a league-average hitter (102 wRC+) over his next two seasons, batting .219/.308/.424 with 42 homers over 1090 plate appearances in 2021-22. Teams increasingly played the shift against the left-handed hitting Yastrzemski in those latter two seasons.
It thus is not surprising that Yastrzemski has been off to a much more promising start in 2023, given the game's new rules limiting defensive shifts. Yaz has hit .292/.333/.521 with five home runs in his first 102 PA this season. While below-average strikeout and walk rates -- plus a notable gap in his wOBA (.364) to his xwOBA (.327) -- indicate he is somewhat outperforming his peripherals, Yastrzemski is still making plenty of hard contact.
Since Bryce Johnson is still on the seven-day concussion IL, Slusser posits that Brett Wisely (just called up as the Giants’ extra player for their two-game series in Mexico City) will probably stick with the team to get a chunk of the center field work with Yastrzemski sidelined. Austin Slater also just recently returned from the injured list, making a Slater/Wisely platoon likely in center field until Yastrzemski or Johnson are back.
The two games in Mexico City provided plenty of injury drama for the Giants, with Brandon Crawford and Sean Manaea each picking up knocks on Saturday. Crawford left the game in the fourth inning due to some right calf tightness and didn’t play Sunday, but told Slusser and other reporters that hopes to be back in action for Monday’s date with the Houston Astros. Manaea was hit on the leg by a Nelson Cruz line drive on Saturday and lasted only 2 2/3 innings in his start, but appeared to be no worse for the wear on Sunday.
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