Injured SF Giants first baseman is 'pushing hard' to play in Rickwood Field Game

The SF Giants are playing a very special game next Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field. First baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. is currently on the IL but is "pushing hard" to play in the game.

Injured SF Giants first baseman is 'pushing hard' to play in Rickwood Field Game

For those unfamiliar, here is a little history on Rickwood Field. The field is the oldest in the United States and was the home stadium of the Birmingham Black Barons, the Negro League team that Giants legend Willie Mays played for. If you have the time, the SF Giants YouTube channel posted a great video on the history of Rickwood Field and the Black Barons ahead of the game that is well worth the watch.

It will be a great chance to honor the greatness of Willie Mays as well as the history of the Negro Leagues, which MLB recently did by adding Negro League statistics to the official MLB records.

While every player should feel honored to participate in the game, one Giant in particular is eager to get back on the field in time for the game. That player is first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. Wade injured his hamstring at the end of May and it was widely believed that it would probably be at least a month until he returned.

Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic has reported that Wade is progressing from his injury and that he is "pushing hard" to play in the game. This makes sense given the fact that Wade is African-American and certainly wants to play in a game that will honor the sacrifice and bravery of players in the Negro Leagues who paved the way for so many others. Even if he is only able to serve as a DH in the game, that would still be awesome to see Wade participate.

It will be interesting to see if the Giants have starting pitcher Jordan Hicks skip a start so that he would be able to pitch in the game as well. Hicks is also African-American, and he used to pitch for the Cardinals so the game would have a lot of added significance for multiple reasons. Plus, he has been sick for his last few starts and the Giants are surely monitoring his workload with this being his first season as a starter, so added rest may not be the worst thing.

The Rickwood Field game next Thursday will be an amazing occasion, and it would be made all the more special if LaMonte Wade Jr. is able to play.