On Monday, the San Francisco Giants activated their longest tenured Giant, bringing Austin Slater back from the concussion IL after he finished his rehab.
In order to bring him back, they optioned Luis Matos amid his struggles over the last month.
Slater was placed on the IL on May 11, missing just about a month with his concussion. He was sent on rehab with Triple-A Sacramento and played five games. In his 18 plate appearances, the 31-year-old hit .235, swatting a homer and driving in two runs.
Prior to the injury, Slater had struggled mightily.
He played 25 games, but was only hitting .128. He had driven in a run, but had yet to collect an extra-base hit, leading to his .434 OPS and -0.3 bWAR. It was tough going for someone who had been a big part of San Francisco’s roster over the last few seasons.
While mostly playing center field, Slater has been a big platoon player, splitting time with Mike Yastrzemski and usually facing lefties.
In his career, he has a .817 OPS against southpaws, compared to his .646 OPS against right-handers.
This is the role he will likely fill once again, as Michael Conforto has returned from the IL and Heliot Ramos has seemingly won an everyday job. If he can get back on track, he will be a weapon against lefties.
