Well usually it's the Yankees, but this year, the team that can make a pretty good roster just using its injured list is the San Francisco Giants. The Giants started the year without Evan Longoria, Tommy La Stella, LaMonte Wade or Matt Boyd, and have since lost Alex Cobb, Anthony Desclafani, Steven Duggar, Zack Littell and Mike Yastrzemski.
THAT...is a lot of big pieces. Like...that's most of the outfield, a good chunk of the rotation, and half the infield. So naturally, the Giants have been trying to use their insane depth to cover their losses. Here's how it's been going for them:
The Rotation: The good news is that the Giants' top 3 guys are all really good. Carlos Rodon is picking up exactly where his 2021 left off and is throwing fire, with 38 Ks and a 1.17 ERA. Logan Webb is similarly still a force to be reckoned with, with a 2-1 record and a 2.96 ERA in his first 3 starts. And Alex Wood is no slouch either, with a 2-0 record and a 2.56 ERA in his first 3 starts. Beyond that, things get tricky. One thing Kapler has been trying is using Sam Long as an opener and throwing in relievers, forgetting of course that starting a game with a man named Long and using someone else as a long man is very redundant. Said long man has usually been former Royals starter Jakob Junis, who's been pretty untouchable so far, with no earned runs and 10 Ks in 2 appearances in long relief work. If I were a betting man, I'd guess that Junis will be starting games in a little bit. As for the fifth spot, when not covered by openers, perhaps there's enough room to bring up prospect Sean Hjelle? He seems to be ready. Maybe he's up next week if Cobb or Disco ain't back yet.
The Outfield: When the only starting outfielder left non-injured is Joc Pederson, the least defensively-inclined one, you know you might be in trouble. The good news is Pederson's bat is off to a nice start, as he's hitting .353 with 6 homers and 10 RBIs. The other good news is that Austin Slater seems to be in decent shape filling in at right field, and while his bat needs some work, he's a solid replacement. As for center, the Giants have been starting Luis Gonzalez, the longtime White Sox prospect, and he's been alright, hitting .316 with 5 RBIs already. Dubon is slowly becoming more of a backup choice.
The Infield: Replacing Longoria for a bit is easy, because the team still has Wilmer Flores, who was gonna be a bench bat if La Stella was healthy. Flores is doing well so far, hitting .266 with 12 RBIs. At second, in the grand tradition of Donovan Solano, we have Thairo Estrada, he's notched 11 RBIs in that time and doing pretty well. I think he'll be a similar choice to Solano, someone who feels like a replacement choice but who warms up eventually.
So yeah, it's all working pretty well. And at the same time, the old heroes like Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Camilo Doval are working out as well. So hopefully the depth of this team will hold out, especially if more people get injured, which I hope isn't the case.
Coming Tonight: Last year he pitched a no-hitter for my team. Even as he suits up for a division rival, I'm still rooting for him.
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