SF Giants: Tommy La Stella dealing with “knee contusion”

SF Giants infielder Tommy La Stella was diagnosed with a left knee contusion on Tuesday, according to manager Gabe Kapler. La Stella was subbed out of Sunday’s game against the Oakland Athletics after he was hit by a pitch on his left shin. X-rays on his knee were negative, and he is currently considered day-to-day.

With Opening Day right around the corner, the injury comes at an inopportune time. Nonetheless, the Giants are well stocked to substitute for La Stella at second base. Veterans Donovan Solano and Wilmer Flores were both impressive last year with the team, but after the franchise signed La Stella this offseason, both have been relegated to utility infielder roles. If La Stella’s injury lingered and justified a placement on the injured list, infielder Jason Vosler could be recalled from minor-league spring training as well to offer a left-handed compliment.

SF Giants infielder Tommy La Stella has been diagnosed with a knee contusion.

Over the past two seasons, La Stella has appeared in 135 games and taken 549 plate appearances. He’s bashed 21 home runs, walked more than he’s struck out (47 walks to 40 strikeouts), and posted a .827 OPS. He’s been at his best, though, against right-handed pitching, posting a .303/.393/.510 with the platoon advantage in 2020. This spring, La Stella is hitting .242/.350/.364 with four walks and six strikeouts in 41 plate appearances.

The SF Giants will track the health of infielder Tommy La Stella closely over the coming days. While he is not expected to miss a substantial amount of time, the team would prefer to have their most significant offseason acquisition available. Nonetheless, they do have strong depth behind him if he cannot play the first few games of the season.