San Francisco Giants Place Star Slugger on Injured List

Another blow has been handed out to the San Francisco Giants after their star slugger suffered an injury that will keep him sidelined for some time.

Apr 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Michael Conforto (8) | Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants are preparing for a rubber match against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday to determine the series winner.

It's an important game as this is an important stretch for the Giants coming off a disappointing road trip where they really put themselves behind in the division and Wild Card race.

As a much better team at home so far this year, it's imperative they put together a strong showing during this nine-game stretch.

But, they'll have to do so without one of their star sluggers.

According to Shayna Rubin of The San Francisco Chronicle, Michael Conforto has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain after leaving Saturday's game early. They have called up Luis Matos to take his place on the active roster.

This is a huge blow for San Francisco and their struggling offense.

Conforto leads the team in home runs (7) and hits (40), while also being second in RBI (20). Among qualified hitters, he also leads in batting average (.280), on-base percentage (.331), and slugging percentage (.490).

Losing him for an extended period of time could be a disaster for the Giants.

Hamstring injuries are always tricky, and the MRI revealed damage that caused him to be placed on the IL instead of just being designated as day-to-day.

They'll now turn to former top prospect Luis Matos, who was signed by the organization as an international free agent in 2018.

The 22-year-old was considered Top-10 within their organization starting in 2020. That was the case until he made his Major League debut in 2023 when he spent 76 games with San Francisco. He slashed .250/.319/.342 with two homers, 16 extra-base hits, and 14 RBI.

He's appeared in one game with the Giants so far this season and went 0-4 with an RBI.

Now, Matos will get another shot to prove what he can do at this level as this team desperately needs someone to provide an offensive spark and replace the output that Conforto has delivered this year.