SF Giants outfielder Mitch Haniger will not return this homestand

When the SF Giants placed outfielder Mitch Haniger on the injured list last week, they expected he'd only be out briefly. Thanks to a back injury, the Giants will be without their biggest offseason signing for a while longer.

Haniger suffered an oblique strain four weeks ago, and when it became clear he wouldn't be ready for Opening Day, the Giants added him to the 10-day injured list March 30. However, while rehabbing the oblique, Haniger hurt his back.

Mitch Haniger (oblique) tells me he is just beginning to hit off a tee. Still a ways off from getting into a game. He’ll head out on a rehab assignment before he joins #SFGiants. He had his back tighten up that shut him down for about a week.
— Evan Webeck (@EvanWebeck) April 7, 2023

If Haniger is only hitting off tee now, he's not all that close to being back on the Giants roster. He's had trouble with this injury before, missing six weeks with a strained oblique in 2017. Haniger claimed he was surprised an MRI even revealed an injury this time, calling it "way less severe" than the earlier injury.

He also hurt his back last September as a member of the Mariners, just one of a litany of injuries to befall Haniger in his career. The Giants' presumptive left fielder missed over 100 games last year with Covid, an ankle injury, and a back ailment. He missed all of 2020 with a back problem, and missed 99 games in 2019 with a sports hernia and a ruptured testicle.

Now Haniger is 32, signed for three seasons and $43.5 million, and has two more injuries in 2023 than games played. But manager Gabe Kapler isn't panicking.

Manager Gabe Kapler said #SFGiants outfielders Austin Slater and Mitch Haniger "probably aren't" going to play on the homestand during pregame availability.
— Marc Delucchi (@maddelucchi) April 7, 2023

The next road trip, to Detroit and Miami, runs April 14-19, so his recovery time should be close to, but less than two weeks. Haniger will remain in Arizona rehabbing and reminding himself that it's still far, far better than his 2019 injuries.

That means Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol should continue to get a lot of playing time in left field, especially with Austin Slater and his hamstring out for the homestand.

Haniger will likely go on a minor league rehab assignment, before heading to the majors to provide some much-needed pop to the Giants' boom-or-bust offense. It's discouraging that one of Farhan Zaidi's few three-year contracts is already showing why Zaidi seemingly hates long-term deals.

But that's the risk you take shopping in the bargain bin. A dented can can provide great value, but it's also at greater risk of getting dented again.