San Francisco Giants right fielder Luis Gonzalez is the team's leading hitter so far this season. Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Giants place OF Luis Gonzalez on 10-day IL with lower-back strain

The San Francisco Giants have placed their leading hitter on the 10-day injured list.

Since signing with the Giants in the offseason, Gonzalez has shown to be a solid contact hitter in his first full season in the majors. Through 159 at-bats covering 49 games, Gonzalez has slashed .302/.361/.447 with three home runs and 24 RBIs.

The outfielder's .302 batting average leads the club and he ranks second in on-base percentage (.361), slugging percentage (.447) and stolen bases (seven). Gonzalez earned the NL Rookie of the Month award for May.

The 26-year-old's injury comes at an inopportune time for San Francisco (38-30), who is trying to catch up to both the Los Angeles Dodgers (42-25) and San Diego Padres (44-27) in the NL West.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
WNBA to investigate $100,000 sponsorship deals for Aces players
Tiger Woods blames one big factor for missing the cut at PGA Championship
Giants All-Star pitcher suffers setback in recovery from injury
Watch: Juan Soto's first multi-homer game as a Yankee
'Ain't good enough': Draymond Green claims Celtics must 'win it all' or it's a 'failure'
Blue Jays GM wants struggling club to feel 'massive sense of urgency'
Raptors expected to flip former NBA champion during the offseason
MLB insider reveals Mets' massive extension offer that Pete Alonso turned down
Celtics legend provides update after gruesome finger injury
Bulls hire former NBA head coach as top assistant
Chiefs move on from young running back
20-year MLB veteran working out, unsure about playing future
USA Hockey names HC for 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics
Key Knicks forward ruled out for Game 7 vs. Pacers
Pacers' Pascal Siakam leads team to Game 6 win vs. Knicks
Watch: Matt Duchene's 2OT winner sends Stars to conference final
Scottie Scheffler shoots improbable 66 after warming up for PGA Championship in a jail cell
Report: Tua Tagovailoa away from Dolphins amid contract chatter
Nuggets star has worrying comment about latest injury
Paul Skenes makes incredible Wrigley Field history in second-career MLB start

Want more Giants news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.