SF Giants surprisingly demote Sunday's hero to make room for returning slugger

The SF Giants got back their right-handed slugger Jerar Encarnacion who has been on the shelf since spring training with a hand fracture. To make room for him, the team surprisingly demoted Luis Matos who was the hero on Sunday.

Matos blasted a three-run homer which ended up being the difference on Sunday against the Miami Marlins. It was a heroic swing of the bat considering how bad the offense has been struggling as of late. For his reward, he got sent back to Triple-A Sacramento.

SF Giants surprisingly demote Luis Matos to make room for Jerar Encarnacion

Encarnacion's return has been anticipated ever since he began his rehab assignment about a week ago. He looked good at the plate in Sacramento which is a great sign considering he was really hitting the ball well in spring training before he got injured.

It seems doubtful that Encarnacion is going to be a savior for the offense, but if he can at least provide a little power and hit the ball out of the ballpark every now and then he could provide a much-needed spark.

Matos was not the only player the Giants could have sent down to make room for Encarnacion. Casey Schmitt was another option since he has been playing a lot of first base recently and figures to see a lot of his at-bats disappear with Encarnacion back. Christian Koss was another candidate for demotion given the fact he has not had a ton of at-bats with Tyler Fitzgerald's return from injury.

The Giants also could have taken a more drastic measure by designating first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment. Wade has really struggled this season, slashing a dismal .167/.271/.271 with one home run and 15 runs batted in in 144 at-bats. His future with the Giants is still unclear, but for now the Giants are showing they have not completely given up on him.

While this is a tough demotion for Matos given his big homer on Sunday, had he not hit that home run his demotion would not have come as a huge shock. Even with the homer, he is slashing .167/.211/.361 with four homers and seven runs batted in on the year. It is tough for a bench player like Matos to establish a rhythm at the plate when playing infrequently, but he at least provided a little power for the team. The timing of his demotion literally right after he was the hero is what made it all surprising.

The Giants had to make room for Encarnacion, though, so this is the route they chose to take. Let's hope Encarnacion can get hot for the Giants and provide them with a spark on offense.