Giants recall Matos, place Yastrzemski on IL in roster shuffle originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
ST. LOUIS – Nearly a year after making his MLB debut at Busch Stadium, Luis Matos will get another chance to stay on the big league roster.
The outfielder was called up for a weekend series with the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday after the Giants put Mike Yastrzemski on the IL with a left oblique. The Giants also recalled third baseman David Villar and put right-hander Keaton Winn on the IL with right elbowitis.
Yastrzemski was removed in the fourth inning of Thursday’s game at Rickwood Field after feeling short of breath, and while he was confident he suffered the injury in time to avoid a six-week absence, any form means of oblique loading generally for at least a few days. without activity. The elbow-related IL trip is the second of the year for Winn, who has allowed at least five runs in four of his past five starts.
This will be the third stint in the major leagues this season for Matos, who was National League Player of the Week after driving 11 points in back-to-back games in mid-May. Overall, though, Matos struggled in field selection, hitting just .224 when the Giants relegated him to Triple-A earlier this month. Over 13 games back with the Sacramento River Cats, Matos was hitting .321 with a 1.075 OPS and five home runs.
The Giants sent Matos back in part because they thought it wouldn’t do him any good to sit on the bench while he was in the middle of a slump. They want him in the lineup when he plays at the big league level, and he believes he gets another chance to show he’s ready for a full-time role. Yastrzemski and Austin Slater have split time in right field, but left fielder Michael Conforto has struggled. There should be opportunities for Matos to try and get going and join Heliot Ramos in the day-to-day lineup.
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