SF Giants send 4th player to injured list in as many days

The SF Giants were inching closer to a fully healthy lineup last week but they hit a pretty large speed bump as the weekend approached. Prior to today, LaMonte Wade Jr. (knee contusion), Curt Casali (concussion), and Brandon Belt (knee soreness) were all placed on the injured list over the weekend but another one joined them on Monday.

SF Giants send 4th player to injured list in as many days

Austin Slater experienced discomfort in his left wrist on Sunday and that ailment put him on the shelf on Monday. Stuart Fairchild, who was acquired earlier this month from the Seattle Mariners, will take Slater's place on the roster.

This is yet another tough break for a Giants roster that has dealt with injuries all season. Slater has quietly been one of the Giants' more productive players. In 80 plate appearances, the right-handed bat has slashed .250/.388/.391 (126 OPS+) with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 12 runs.

Slater has typically controlled the strike zone well and this season is no different as he has posted an 18.8 percent walk rate against a 26.3 percent strikeout rate.

The 29-year-old outfielder has generally handled left-handed pitching, registering an .837 OPS against southpaws in his six-year career. However, that has not necessarily been the case in 2022 as he has produced a .668 OPS against lefties compared to a .932 OPS against righties. Those numbers will likely return back to normal when he returns and as the season progresses.

In his place, Fairchild will step in. The outfield prospect was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 2017 draft out of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Since then, he has made brief stops with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Mariners organizations before coming to San Francisco.

The Giants shipped infielder Alex Blandino to Seattle in exchange for Fairchild. Fairchild has a total of 20 combined major league plate appearances with the Diamondbacks and Mariners under his belt. In that time, he has recorded just two hits with two RBI.

Since joining the Giants organization, Fairchild has recorded two hits, including a homer, and four walks win 16 plate appearances with the Sacramento River Cats. The 26-year-old outfielder was in Monday's lineup.