LaMonte Wade Jr., Michael Conforto Out Against Lefty
San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and outfielder Michael Conforto are both starting on the bench for Thursday's series finale against the hosting division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers with left-hander Clayton Kershaw making his 2024 debut. David Villar will get the nod at first base and will hit sixth, while Derek Hill will draw into the lineup in left field and will bat in the nine-hole for the Giants against Kershaw. Villard does have a homer and two RBI in nine career at-bats against Kershaw but is also hitting .111 against him with a .555 OPS. Wade is hitting nearly .300 in 188 at-bats for the Gigantes this year but has missed time with injury and has provided fantasy managers with just three homers and 19 RBI. Conforto has actually fared better against lefties in 2024 but overall has been a below-average hitter, slashing .224/.296/.410 with 10 homers and 39 RBI in 268 at-bats.
Michael Conforto, LaMonte Wade Jr. Sitting Vs. Lefty
San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto and first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. will be out of the starting lineup on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have left-hander Kyle Freeland taking the hill, who has been excellent over his last four starts (1.71 ERA in 26 1/3 innings). Conforto went 0-4 Friday night and will presumably be available off the bench if needed. In his career against Freeland, Conforto only has two singles in eight at-bats, with no home runs, walks, or RBI). Although Conforto has been solid this season versus lefties, hitting .276 with three HR and 10 RBI, the Giants seem content with giving him a breather tonight, but we expect him to be all-systems-go for the series finale on Sunday. Wade went 1-for-5 with a double in Friday's game and is slashing .308/.433/.419 with three home runs and 19 RBI over 65 games. Wilmer Flores is starting at first base and batting fifth while Wade gets a breather.
San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. is getting a breather in Thursday's series finale against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. With Wade starting on the bench, veteran Wilmer Flores will get the start at first base and will bat seventh for the Giants against Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman. Flores has hit .429 with a .929 OPS in seven career at-bats versus Gausman, although he'll still be a pretty bland DFS sleeper option near the bottom of the order in a tough matchup. The 32-year-old Venezuelan is hitting just .207 (42-for-203) this year with four homers and 25 RBI in a part-time role. Since returning from the injured list on June 28, Wade has hit .241 (7-for-29) with a homer, two doubles and an RBI. He's hitting over .300 on the season, but his counting stats are lacking for fantasy managers. UPDATE: Manager Bob Melvin said Wade has a little hamstring tightness, but the feeling is that next week's All-Star break will help Wade get to 100%.
LaMonte Wade Jr. Expected To Come Off Injured List On Friday
San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) is expected to come off the 10-day injured list on Friday. Wade will return to the Giants after missing the last month of action due to a Grade 2 left-hamstring strain. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter went 1-for-7 with four walks and two strikeouts in three minor-league rehab games with Triple-A Sacramento before getting the green light to return to the big leagues this weekend. His return will push veteran infielder Wilmer Flores back into more of a utility role for San Fran. If Wade is available on your league's waiver wire, he's surely worth a pickup, as he's going to play regularly after slashing .333/.470/.426 with an .896 OPS in his first 129 at-bats this year.
LaMonte Wade Jr. To Begin Triple-A Rehab Assignment Sunday
San Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday. The 30-year-old currently resides on the 10-day injured list and has not appeared in a big-league contest since May 27. Wade had been off to a nice start to his season as he was hitting .333 with a pair of homers alongside an .896 OPS across 52 appearances but a bloated .436 BABIP was due for significant regression while his .093 isolated power was well below his career .169 mark. Nonetheless, he still walked in a whopping 19.9% trips to the plate, a figure just slightly below his 21.1% K% on the season. The lefty-swinging Wade is an intriguing streaming option when he gets into the lineup against right-handed pitching.
LaMonte Wade Jr. Officially Placed On Injured List
San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. The Giants expect him to miss around a month of action. This was expected to happen after Wade suffered a hamstring injury during Monday's game. This is a shame, considering Wade has been an on-base machine this season. Wilmer Flores figures to see increased playing time at first base for the Gigantes with Wade set to miss time. Trenton Brooks is at first on Tuesday and is hitting ninth against Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler.
San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said after Monday's win over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies that first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) will get an MRI on Tuesday, but the infielder is likely going on the 10-day injured list. Wade exited Monday's series opener due to a strained left hamstring that he sustained while legging out a double in the fifth inning, and he needed help walking off the field before being replaced by Wilmer Flores. Monday was Wade's first game back in San Fran's lineup since Friday after he nursed a minor left hamstring issue over the weekend, so he may have aggravated the problem. The 30-year-old on-base machine has been a lineup fixture for the Giants this year, slashing a hearty .333/.470/.426 with two home runs, 17 RBI, 22 runs scored, and one stolen base over 166 plate appearances (52 games), and it'll be a big loss to their offense for however long he's sidelined.
LaMonte Wade Jr. Back In The Starting Lineup On Monday
San Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) is back in the starting lineup on Monday and will bat in the two-hole. Wade remained out of the starting lineup over the past two days due to a minor hamstring injury. This is a great sign, as the 30-year-old has been cleared and will look to continue his excellent start to the season. He currently holds a .333/.472/.421 line with two home runs and one stolen base. He has shown an excellent eye at the plate with a 20.2% walk rate, which is currently the best in the sport among qualified hitters. Wade remains a strong batting average contributor and a must-roster player in leagues that score on-base percentage. He is worth playing in DFS as he will go up against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker, who enters the contents with a 5.06 ERA.
San Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) remains out of the team's starting lineup for Sunday's game against the New York Mets. Wade Jr. tweaked his hamstring during Friday's game and did not suit up on Saturday. The 30-year-old has been quite productive at the plate so far in 2024 and should be back sooner rather than later. In his absence, Wilmer Flores will start at first base and bat fifth. Flores is slashing a paltry .189/.228/.283 over his last 15 games, but he is 8-for-23 (.348 BA) with two doubles against Mets starter Sean Manaea in his career.
LaMonte Wade Jr. Out Of Lineup With Tweaked Hamstring On Saturday
San Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) tweaked his hamstring in the ninth inning on Friday evening and will be getting a day off to recover on Saturday. As a result, Wilmer Flores will play first base and bat in the fifth hole. Wade Jr. has been one of the best all-around hitters throughout the young part of the season. He is currently placed in the top 98th and 96th percentile with a .416 xwOBA and .312 xBA, respectively. In addition, he currently holds a 20.4% walk rate, which is the best in baseball. This injury does not seem serious, so Wade Jr. could rejoin the starting lineup on Sunday. Flores is probably best to fade this afternoon in DFS as he enters Saturday with a poor.215 AVG and .207 xBA as he will face Luis Severino who has allowed just one run or less in four in just under half of his starts this season.
