SF Giants: INF Tommy La Stella restarts rehab assignment

SF Giants infielder Tommy La Stella has restarted his rehab assignment at Triple-A. La Stella has begun rehab assignments on two other occasions since going on the injured list early in May, but various setbacks have forced him to step away from the field. On Thursday, however, the switch-hitter finished 2-for-2 with a walk and three runs scored before he was replaced by a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth inning.

La Stella suffered a left hamstring strain back on May 2nd, rounding third base in a 7-1 victory over the San Diego Padres. The Giants have obviously managed to play well in his absence but could use another versatile left-handed bat as they gear up for their first potential postseason run since 2016. La Stella had gotten off to a slow start for the Giants but seemed to be turning things around when he went down with the injury. On the season, he is hitting .235/.297/.353 with one home run in 75 plate appearances.

SF Giants INF Tommy La Stella has restarted his rehab assignment.

The Giants originally placed La Stella on the 10-day injured list but have since shifted him to the 60-day IL, which opened up a 40-man roster spot at the time. However, that will force them to recreate a spot for him whenever they want to add him back to their big-league roster. With the trade deadline on the horizon, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi could have some moves up his sleeve to open up a spot for the largest free-agent acquisition of his tenure in San Francisco.

La Stella signed a three-year, $19.5 million deal with the Giants last winter, coming off two of the best seasons of his career. From 2020-21, La Stella appeared in 135 games and took 549 plate appearances. He bashed 21 home runs, walked more than he struck out (47 walks to 40 strikeouts), and posted a .827 OPS. He was at his best, though, against right-handed pitching, hitting .303/.393/.510 with the platoon advantage in 2020.

The SF Giants have been ravaged by injuries this season, but veteran infielder Tommy La Stella could finally be approaching a return to Oracle Park.