SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants will learn more about Jung Hoo Lee’s prospects when their rookie center fielder meets with Dr. Ken Akizuki, the team’s head orthopedist, later Monday evening to review an MRI of his injured left shoulder. .
For now, they know he dislocated his shoulder crashing into the outfield wall in the first inning of Sunday’s win over the Reds and that whether or not it should be Surgically repaired, the injury is generally accompanied by a long recovery.
Manager Bob Melvin said before the first pitch Monday against the Dodgers, “I think not at this point, based on what I’m hearing,” regarding the possibility of surgery, which could be the difference between an absence of six to eight weeks. and potentially miss the remainder of his first major league season.
“It takes a little bit of time to process that,” the Giants manager said of his 25-year-old center back after speaking with his interpreter, Justin Han, the day after the injury. “He’s very team-oriented and wants to be there for his team and so is disappointed, but there’s not much you can do about it.
“You give an all-out effort like that to catch a ball on the first inning, make that play and it’s a huge momentum boost. All of a sudden, our central defender is on the ground. We had to get over it a bit. I’m sure he’s feeling it right now. He wants to be there for his team.
In the meantime, the Giants have a variety of options to play center field, but perhaps no player can match Lee’s unique skillset.
As the primary leadoff hitter, Lee is elite at putting the ball in play, one of three skilled hitters who strike out in fewer than 10 percent of his plate appearances (his company: Luis Arraez and Steven Kwan). On base, his speed hasn’t translated into as many steals as the Giants would like (caught three times in five attempts), but still offers the running threat like no one besides Thairo Estrada.
Oracle Park’s sprawling center field, with lanes on both sides, is perhaps where Lee’s absence is most felt. His sprint speed of 28.4 feet per second ranks in the top 17% of the major leagues, behind only Tyler Fitzgerald (29.8) and Matt Chapman (28.5) on the Giants, and has helped him cover all this land.
According to Statcast, Lee had provided a +1 defensive value, in the 62nd percentile in the league, with arm strength – averaging 94.2 mph on his pitches – that ranked in the top 2% of MLB outfielders. .
“Now I know why they call him ‘Grandson of the Wind,’” Jordan Hicks marveled after Lee chased down — and reversed — an extra base hit in his final start at Citizens Bank Park. Earlier in the road trip, he also showed off his ability to load shallow pop flies, setting up for a diving catch at Fenway Park and slamming his glove into the grass, satisfied with having made up for a more misplay. early in the round.
That speed — and effort — was on display until Lee collided with the outfield wall Sunday afternoon.
“Everyone felt it at the start of the game,” Melvin said. “We’re coming back in the dugout and it wasn’t a great feeling. But the way we reacted, being so depressed, the first part of the match didn’t go very well. Trying to win a series, to be able to come back, to lose the lead again and come back, I’m proud of the way they gave up the whole game. But we felt the effects when it happened.
Now the Giants must bear the longer-term effects.
Lee was their seventh player in the last 10 days to go on the injured list, joining Patrick Bailey (concussion), Tom Murphy (left knee sprain), Jorge Soler (right shoulder sprain), Nick Ahmed (right shoulder sprain). sprained left wrist) and Austin. Slater (concussion).
On Monday, Melvin entered Luis Matos in center field, batting eighth, and said the 23-year-old “is going to get a really good shot there.” Without Michael Conforto (hamstring) or Jorge Soler (shoulder), Heliot Ramos was also expected to make regular starts in the corners of the outfield.
Melvin also named Fitzgerald as an option at center — he’s played 15 games there since being called up last year — and said Mike Yastrzemski would take fly balls there in case there was a need to replace him as well.
One option not on the table: Wade Meckler, the only other outfielder on the 40-man roster. He did not appear in a game this season after spraining his left wrist during the Giants’ exhibition in Sacramento.
“Look, we have other options now and that’s what we need to focus on,” Melvin said. “There are a lot of holes we have right now with a lot of guys falling, but it creates an opportunity for someone else.”
Notable
VS Jackson Reetz was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take the place of Lee, who was placed on the 10-day injured list. … Bailey was held out of the lineup for a second straight game as the Giants work to determine whether the “head cold” he woke up with Sunday was related to his recent concussion. … Soler could begin a one- or two-game rehab assignment later this week if the next steps in his hitting progression go well. …After pitching four scoreless innings Sunday in a rehab start for Single-A San Jose, Blake Snell (adductor) was scheduled to meet with Giants doctors Monday to determine the next steps in his rehabilitation.
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