SAN FRANCISCO -- This brutal first half has claimed one of the lone bright spots of this 2017 season.
Austin Slater was removed in the eighth inning of Friday's loss with a right hip injury and he'll get an MRI on Saturday morning. The Giants do not have an exact timetable at the moment, but they know enough that Bruce Bochy could state right away that Slater will go on the disabled list.
"He's going to be down for a little while," Bochy said.
Slater was understandably down, and he said this injury was worse than the tightness that hampered him at times over the past couple of weeks. He had continued to get treatment on the hip but said it wasn't a big issue. While running out a grounder in the eighth, Slater felt pain. He immediately grabbed at his right leg as he tried to stop himself before the bag. He was helped off the field by first base coach Jose Alguacil and trainer Dave Groeschner.
"Right before I got to the bag I felt it pull a little bit," Slater said.
Slater is batting .290 with three homers through his first 100 at-bats and he's been a strong defender in left field. He looked poised to play every day in the second half and try to permanently win that left field job, but the indications Friday night were that he could miss significant time.
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The Giants will replace Slater before Saturday's game. Jarrett Parker, who is on a rehab assignment, and Mac Williamson are the top 40-man roster options, and thus most likely. If Slater is to miss extended time, the Giants could at some point give a look to Chris Shaw, their top outfield prospect. Shaw has eight homers in 37 games for the River Cats, but the original plan called for him to spend the rest of the season in Triple-A.
