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SF Giants outfielder Luis González out for 4-6 weeks with back injury

The SF Giants Opening Day roster competition has a bit more clarity now that outfielder Luis González is unlikely to be available.
Marc Delucchi|
SF Giants outfielder Luis González out for 4-6 weeks with back injury
SF Giants outfielder Luis González out for 4-6 weeks with back injury

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants will not get a chance to evaluate outfielder Luis González this spring. Manager Gabe Kapler told reporters on Sunday morning that González is dealing with a back strain that will likely keep him out past Opening Day. Kapler said the injury is similar to a lower back strain that plagued González last season. The team later revealed that he is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks.

“It’s going to be a little bit,” Kapler said. “He’s not likely to be ready to start the season for us.”

The Giants claimed González off waivers during the 2021 season, taking advantage of the Chicago White Sox decision to designate him for assignment while he recovered from shoulder surgery. González was one of the Giants standouts at big-league spring training and got off to a hot start.

González led the Giants offense early in 2022, setting the table with a .347/.384/.485 triple-slash in 112 plate appearances through May. However, his performance faded as the year went on. Kapler has claimed that González's production dipped because he playing through a lower back strain that forced him to finish the year on the injured list. He finished last season with a .254/.323/.360 line, adding 17 doubles, four home runs, and 10 stolen bases in 98 games.

The Giants will face some difficult roster decisions this spring, particularly in the outfield. Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater, Michael Conforto, and Mitch Haniger are all guaranteed spots on the Opening Day roster if healthy. González was the leading candidate to be the Giants fifth outfielder, but his injury makes it easier to envision someone like Bryce Johnson, Stephen Piscotty, Clint Coulter, or Blake Sabol making the team.

Luis González's injury will likely lead him to start the season on the injured list before a prolonged minor-league rehab. However, he does have one minor-league option remaining, per FanGraphs, which would allow the SF Giants to send him back to the minors without exposing him to waivers.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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