SF Giants welcome back a pair of position players, send Mike Yastrzemski and Keaton Winn to IL

Many SF Giants fans were not happy when Luis Matos was demoted back to Triple-A at the beginning of June. On Saturday, he returned along with David Villar. Mike Yastrzemski (oblique) and Keaton Winn (elbow) were placed on the injured list, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants welcome back a pair of position players, send Mike Yastrzemski and Keaton Winn to IL

Yastrzemski sustained the oblique injury during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. He told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that it is not a serious injury and that he could be back when he is eligible in 10 days.

The left-handed bat was starting to heat up at the plate as he tallied an .842 OPS with two home runs in 55 plate appearances in June. Overall, he is slashing .224/.304/.406 (104 wRC+) with seven home runs, 28 RBI, and 26 runs in 215 plate appearances while playing strong defense in right field.

As soon as the injury occurred, Matos was pulled from the Sacramento River Cats' lineup, so it was not too surprising to see him get recalled. The 22-year-old outfielder has a .790 OPS with eight home runs and 31 RBI in 204 plate appearances with the River Cats in 2024. He struggled to a .577 OPS in 89 plate appearances earlier in the year with San Francisco. This did include a hot stretch where he earned NL Player of the Week honors. He is set to see a lot of playing time in Yastrzemski's absence.

On the other hand, Keaton Winn lands back on the injured list with elbow inflammation. He has experienced bouts of forearm discomfort over the past 12 months and now is battling an elbow ailment.

The 26-year-old pitcher performed well in the first month of the season, but he has struggled badly since then. This did include a stint on the injured list with forearm discomfort. Overall, he has pitched to a 7.16 ERA in 12 starts while showing uncharacteristically poor control in recent starts.

David Villar takes Winn's spot on the roster. This will be his first stint with the club in 2024. The right-handed bat has recorded an .839 OPS with 12 home runs and 46 RBI in 264 plate appearances in Sacramento. Though, it bears mentioning that he has generally performed well in Triple-A. He will likely serve as a utility infield bat.