It hasn't been easy for the San Francisco Giants this year after they massively revamped their roster in the offseason to transform themselves back into a competitive team.
Aside from Jordan Hicks and Matt Chapman, most of the high-profile additions to this team have been flops.
That's largely not the fault of the players, as Jung Hoo Lee suffered a freak shoulder injury that will keep him out for the rest of the year. Blake Snell signed late and hasn't had a proper warm-up period to prepare his body for Major League Baseball.
One thing continues to trouble this team during the summer months: injuries.
Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that the Giants have made another roster change after placing star outfielder Mike Yastrzemski on the injured list with an oblique muscle strain. Starting pitcher Keaton Winn is also being placed on the injured list with elbow inflammation.
In corresponding steps, San Francisco calls up the star young talents Luis Matos and David Villar.
Matos will get another chance at the major league level after making his debut in 2023, playing in 73 games with the Giants en route to a .250/.319/.342 batting average with two home runs, 16 extra-base hits and 14 RBI. He saw much less action this year, appearing in just 21 games before being demoted in the midst of his slump.
There were some opinions that if he appeared to have things under control at the plate, he wouldn't be able to stay in the minors for long.
Yastrzemski's injury gives him another chance to show the organization that he has what it takes to become an impact player in the major leagues.
However, how long he will stay on the show is uncertain.
Yastrzemski described his oblique strain as “minor” and is “glad it was caught so early.” He hopes to be back in action in 10 days.
For Winn, this is a disappointing development.
In his second year in the MLB, he looked like he could be a part of that rotation in the future, as he posted a 3.18 ERA in his first six starts this season. He spiraled out of control in May when he was forced out with right forearm discomfort and subsequently placed on the injured list.
This will be Winn's second stay on the injured list, which is never good for a young pitcher.
