SF Giants place veteran bat on injured list, call up Heliot Ramos from Triple-A

Heliot Ramos is back with the SF Giants and poised to receive his most extended look yet. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of A.J. Pollock, who was placed on the injured list with an oblique strain according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants place veteran bat on injured list, call up Heliot Ramos from Triple-A

The Giants swung a trade for Pollock right before the trade deadline. It was there only notable trade in July, but Pollock did not produce in his brief time, collecting six hitless at-bats. According to Maria Guardado of MLB.Com, the right-handed bat is expected to miss at least three weeks.

Taking his spot on the roster will be Ramos. The 23-year-old appeared briefly with the team earlier in the year and had five hits, including two doubles, in 26 at-bats. He is still looking for his first major league home run.

However, he was sent back down in the middle of May before sustaining an oblique strain that landed him on the 60-day injured list. Ramos returned to Sacramento at the beginning of July and has had some of his best success yet as a pro, slashing .340/.382/.723 (154 wRC+) with seven home runs, 26 RBI, and 17 runs in 102 plate appearances.

Triple-A has been a rough level for the former top prospect. He has struggled to the tune of a .722 OPS in parts of three seasons. However, his overall numbers are far more encouraging in 2023 as he has tallied a .902 OPS across 181 plate appearances.

The Giants hope that he is beginning to turn the corner in his development. Hard contact has never been an issue for Ramos as he has recorded an average exit velocity of 90.6 MPH in Triple-A this season.

Lifting the ball off of the ground with consistency has been more of a problem. The outfield prospect has produced a ground ball in 44.6 percent of batted ball events in Triple-A this year, which is high, but not necessarily a red flag. Though, his 31.5-percent launch angle sweet spot rate, which is a measure of batted balls with a launch angle between eight and 32 degrees, is one of the lower marks among his teammates.

Nevertheless, he has had some promising moments lately and definitely earned the promotion. It would behoove the Giants to see what Ramos can do on the field by giving him an extended look.