Giants lose Wade (hamstring) for at least 4 weeks
Sonja Chen
@sonjamchenSAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants have started to build momentum of late, and now they'll have to keep it going without one of their best players.
LaMonte Wade Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, the team announced before Tuesday's game against the Phillies. He is expected to miss about four weeks.
"He's as good a left-handed hitter as there is in the league right now," manager Bob Melvin said. "Not only that, the flair for the dramatic, coming up in big spots, getting big hits, as we've seen here for a while now. That's going to be tough to replace, but over the course of the season, you have to."
Wade sustained the injury during Monday's 8-4 win over the Phillies. After doubling in the fifth inning, Wade stayed down after sliding into second base, grabbing at his hamstring area. He eventually exited the game and walked off the field with the assistance of a trainer.
Even before Wade underwent an MRI on Tuesday, the Giants knew he was likely bound for the injured list, joining several other starting position players, including Michael Conforto (right hamstring strain), Nick Ahmed (left wrist sprain) and Jung Hoo Lee (left shoulder dislocation).
Wade has been one of San Francisco's most consistent contributors in 2024, leading his position-player teammates with 1.9 fWAR. He was hitting .333 with an .896 OPS at the time of his injury, and he got on base at a blistering .470 clip that led all Major Leaguers with at least 160 plate appearances.
The next closest player, Mookie Betts, had an on-base percentage nearly 40 points lower through Monday's games, though his 248 plate appearances were significantly more than Wade's 166.
"His strike zone, his eye at the plate, it's unbelievable," said Wilmer Flores, who is expected to get the bulk of the playing time at first base in Wade's absence. "I like that he takes his hits. It's not only like he's trying to slug. He takes what they're giving him."
Flores had made 32 appearances (22 starts) at first base this season entering Tuesday. He's batting .214 with a .574 OPS, seven doubles and one home run through his first 45 games.
In addition to Flores, the Giants also brought up first baseman Trenton Brooks from Triple-A Sacramento in a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday. Brooks, 28, spent eight seasons in the Minors before getting his first call to the big leagues.
Brooks slashed .308/.426/.462 and had more walks (31) than strikeouts (27) in 43 games with the River Cats. With the Giants facing Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, the left-handed-hitting Brooks got the start at first base for his Major League debut on Tuesday.
"Just really, really grateful," Brooks said. "It's been a long time, and it's been a long grind for not only myself, but my family. ¡ I'm very excited to do what I can to help this team win."
It will be difficult for San Francisco to replace Wade's level of production, not to mention his steady presence in the field. But the team has already had to find ways to work through injuries to multiple key players this season and entered Tuesday one game above .500.
That doesn't make the Giants' latest loss any easier to deal with.
"It's tough to see, especially for him and the way his season's going," Flores said. "He's just got to try to get back as soon as he can, but it sucks."