SF Giants’ Encarnacion back from injured list, Matos optioned to Sacramento

SAN FRANCISCO In the midst of their offensive struggles the Giants are getting a much-needed reinforcement First baseman and corner outfielder Jerar Encarancion has been activated from the -day injured list and is set to make his make his season debut following a great performance during spring In a corresponding move San Francisco optioned outfielder Luis Matos who homered in Sunday s - win to Triple-A Sacramento It s nice to have him back declared manager Bob Melvin During spring training we were talking about how impactful he was going to be He was having a great spring Next thing you know he s out for a while He feels good at the plate hit specific home runs the last couple days he s ready to go Encarnacion joins the Giants at a juncture where their offense is in need of life San Francisco hasn t scored more than four runs in a single championship since Wilmer Flores hit three homers against the Athletics Over their last games the Giants have mustered just runs and posted a collective OPS The pitching staff posted a ERA in May the best mark in all of baseball but the organization finished with a - record in the month due in part to subpar offensive production Regarding position and playing time Encarnacion could start at first base for LaMonte Wade Jr or in right field for Mike Yastrzemski on days the Giants face left-handed starters Casey Schmitt who picked up first base this year has started games at first base against left-handed starters as well Encarnacion becomes San Francisco s fourth outfielder with Matos being optioned Melvin added that infielder Christian Koss has the ability to play outfield as well I feel reassured anywhere they want to play me Encarnacion commented through organization interpreter Erwin Higueros They want to play me in first base that s where I ll be It s going to be a day-to-day proposition on what we think the best lineup is but Jerar is going to get particular at-bats against righties as well Melvin announced Wade often receives starts against right-handed pitchers but the -year-old has yet to break out of a cold spell that dates back to last season Over games Wade has a slash line of with one home run and RBIs Wade s - WAR per FanGraphs is one of the worst in all of baseball We hope he starts to take off here He hasn t to this point Melvin mentioned There s been particular periods where his at-bats have been a lot better and he s got nothing to show for it and that can weigh on you for a guy that s used to being a productive guy and getting on base and kind of doing his thing So it s going to be about performance here If he starts to take off here he s going to see more playing time If not you might see Jerar over there a little bit more Encarnacion has exhibited elite power in his brief major-league career and positioned himself to make San Francisco s Opening Day roster after hitting with two home runs and RBIs during spring training Less than a week before the Giants first regular season contest Encarnacion suffered a hairline fracture in his left ring finger after diving for a ball in right field The -year-old started his rehab assignment with Sacramento on May but the association paused the rehab assignment after two games due to hand soreness Upon returning on May Encarnacion was first eligible to return on May Encarnacion played five games recording five hits and hitting two homers Encarnacion mentioned his hand was a little tight when swinging but feels very well now We know he can give us particular power Melvin announced He s got power to all fields We saw it at the end of last year We saw it in spring training When we were about to leave spring training there were going to be a lot of at-bats for him Obviously what Flores has done has been off the charts so we re cognizant of that but with the promising that he gives us and the lack of power we re getting right now he s going to get specific opportunities Related Articles Kurtenbach The SF Giants next two weeks will tell us where they stand in the NL SF Giants conclude three-city road trip with series win over Marlins SF Giants Posey preaching patience with Adames but what does contemporary history say SF Giants top prospect Eldridge enjoying his time in native Virginia but he knows California is calling Ray caps off best month of career takes loss as Marlins silence SF Giants On the subject of opportunities the -year-old Matos now stands to receive consistent playing time with Sacramento Matos hit with four home runs and seven RBIs over games struggling to consistently produce as a bench bat Melvin commented that Matos age and need for consistent playing time factored into him being the athlete who was optioned We ve seen when he s getting a lot of at-bats he s productive Last year as well Melvin noted For younger players to have to sit around for long periods of time it s really complex He hit a big home run for us the preceding day but it s been spotty playing time It s allegedly not great for his improvement too He even noted to me I need more at-bats Not the last you ll see of Luis Matos Verlander to throw bullpen on Tuesday The Giants also broadcasted on Monday that right-hander Justin Verlander right pectoral soreness will throw a bullpen on Tuesday at Oracle Park Following his bullpen session Melvin noted the squad will look for him to face hitters three or four days afterwards Left-hander Kyle Harrison has taken Verlander s place in the rotation for the time being and made two starts allowing two runs over nine innings Harrison is scheduled to make his third start on Wednesday and will likely receive a fourth start as Verlander recovers from his injury