SAN FRANCISCO — As expected, the Giants activated LaMonte Wade Jr. from the injured list ahead of Friday night’s series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park.
To make room on the roster, infielders Thairo Estrada (left wrist sprain) and Wilmer Flores (right knee tendonitis) were placed on the IL.
Shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald was also recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.
Wade plays first base and bats second against Dodgers starter Landon Knack.
Wade had been out since May 28 with a lingering hamstring injury and recently completed a rehab assignment with Sacramento.
“It’s nice to have him back,” manager Bob Melvin said of Wade. “Looking at all the left-handed hitters in the National League, he was at the top of them all in on-base percentage, obviously the deciding factor with him all the time. We missed a lot of things when he was away. »
Before his injury, Wade had provided the Giants with a spark of brilliance at the top of their lineup, hitting .333 with two homers, 17 RBIs and a career-best .896 OPS in 52 games.
Estrada, who leads the Giants with 39 RBIs and is tied for second with nine home runs, was placed on the IL while in a lengthy slump. In his previous 18 games, Estrada was hitting .164 (11-for-70) with three extra-base hits. He struck out 15 and drew two walks in that span.
“He had problems with his thumb, his wrist, he had problems with quite a few things,” Melvin said.
Other injury updates:
– Kyle Harrison, who was scratched from his last start with an ankle injury, threw a two-inning bullpen session and “looked really good,” according to Melvin.
— Alex Cobb also threw a workout Friday and is expected to make a rehab start with Class Single-A San Jose on Sunday.
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