SF Giants star third baseman begins brief rehab assignment with the Sacramento River Cats

The SF Giants lineup is set to receive a boost as soon as today. Third baseman Matt Chapman began a rehab assignment with the Sacramento River Cats on Friday night, and is expected to be in tonight's lineup against the A's, per John Shea of the San Francisco Standard.

SF Giants star third baseman begins brief rehab assignment with the Sacramento River Cats

Chapman went hitless in three at-bats, but worked a walk and scored a run. He was lifted in the sixth inning for minor league infielder Drew Ellis.

The River Cats secured a 9-6 win over the Reno Aces. It has been an odd week for the River Cats' travel schedule. They began the week at home for a three-game series against the Aces, and then traveled to Reno for another three-game series to finish the week. Normally, minor league teams play in a six-game series each week in the same location.

That was done to accommodate the A's schedule. They returned home to face off against the Giants in a three-game series. Chapman should be heading in that direction to finish out the series against the A's.

The Giants could certainly use the boost, both in the lineup and defensively. They have gone 9-14 since Chapman landed on the injured list with a hand injury on June 10. While he was out, Casey Schmitt filled in nicely at third base, but he was also placed on the injured list with a bone bruise in his left hand.

Schmitt is also expected to return shortly. When he does, there will be no path to playing time at third base with Chapman taking over. That said, Schmitt will likely shift over and take most of the playing time at second base.

On the other hand, Chapman should provide a boost in all areas of the game for San Francisco. He was in the middle of a hot streak when he went down with an injury. Overall, the right-handed bat is slashing .243/.360/.452 (133 wRC+) with 12 home runs, 30 RBI, and 35 runs in 272 plate appearances.

Perhaps this speaks to the offensive slump the Giants have endured, but Chapman's 12 home runs still rank second on the club, behind only Heliot Ramos, who has 13 home runs. When the veteran bat does return, he will play alongside Rafael Devers for the first time.