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.

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