SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Crawford was activated off of the injured list Saturday prior to the Giants’ game against the Boston Red Sox but it remains unclear as to how he’ll split time at shortstop with rookie Marco Luciano going forward.
Prior to his 11-game stay on the injured list with left knee inflammation, Crawford had a slash line of .207/.285/.333 with five home runs and 26 RBIs in 64 games.
Crawford took live batting practice Friday and Saturday and although he is able to perform all baseball activities without restrictions, per Giants manager Gabe Kapler, Luciano started against Boston.
Luciano got his first major league hit on Friday and also scored a run in a 3-2 Giants loss to the Red Sox.
Kapler addressed the shortstop situation pregame, saying, “I imagine they’ll both get the reps, but I don’t have an exact (time)-share for you.”
Kapler added that Luciano is capable of playing in another infield spot, should the Giants want to get both the rookie and Crawford both in the lineup.
“We’re trying to get Luciano ready to play a little second base in case that become a necessity,” Kapler said, adding, “or in case game moves dictate that he needs to play on that side of the diamond.”
Kapler said that while Luciano has been trained almost exclusively at shortstop, the Dominican Republic native also practiced at second base in spring training.
“A very athletic player that has played shortstop for a considerable amount of time, which Marco has, he’s probably physically gifted enough to move to other positions on the dirt and in the outfield,” Kapler said.
Luciano said that while his position may change, his effort will not.
“All I can control is show up every day, play hard and play wherever they want me to play,” Luciano said through a Spanish language translator.
Brett Wisely, a 24-year-old rookie with a .175/.231/.267 hitting line, was optioned back to Triple-A Sacramento to make space for Crawford.
His inability to hit top-tier pitching was listed as the reason for Wisely’s demotion.
“I explained the situation to Wise, and talked to him a little bit about, collectively, what we think he needs to work on to get back to the major leagues and help us win baseball games,” Kapler said.
WINN UPDATE: Pitcher Keaton Winn (4.09 ERA, one save) will avoid surgery after a doctor’s visit showed no structural damage to his right elbow. Winn is in Triple-A after a brief stint in the majors. Kapler said, “the game plan is to get him some anti-inflammatory (medicine) and get him back to pitching as soon as possible.”
WADE UPDATE: LaMonte Wade Jr. continues to make progress as he battles a back injury but remained out of the lineup Saturday. Kapler said Wade is “doing everything he can. He wants to play and he wants to be competing out there.”
KAPLER ON WEBB: Kapler said he did not have a problem with pitcher Logan Webb’s actions Friday when he was seen shaking his head in the dugout after being pulled in the eighth inning. Kapler said “It’s fine. Logan’s a competitor and I love the fact that he’s a competitor that wants the ball and wants to go out there at every turn. Absolutely love it and respect him.”