SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Despite recent progress toward potentially playing on Opening Day, Giants second baseman Tommy La Stella’s status for the team’s season opener Friday was thrown into question Tuesday morning when La Stella was scratched from the club’s spring training finale.
La Stella, who has been recovering from offseason surgery on the sheath of his right Achilles tendon, had been penciled in to play three-to-five innings in his second appearance at second base this spring. But after being examined by team doctors Tuesday morning, La Stella was scratched from the lineup and replaced by Mauricio Dubon.
Manager Gabe Kapler called the move precautionary but said La Stella was still experiencing soreness, stemming from overuse as he slowly made his return to the field this spring.
“What we evaluated was the upside of him playing in today’s game was not worth the downside of him not feeling great tomorrow,” Kapler said Tuesday morning. “He’s getting lots of live reps. He’s doing his conditioning. He’s doing his defensive work. I think when you’re coming back from Achilles tendon injuries, there’s a volume component to it, just how much work your body can take without getting sore … and recover effectively.”
After undergoing surgery in late October, La Stella reported to camp ahead of schedule in his rehab. He advanced to running the bases, hitting live pitches and going through defensive drills on the backfield before appearing in a game for the first time last Tuesday.
In two games, La Stella had no difficulty at the plate. He had three hits in four at-bats, including a home run and a well-hit double. The addition of the designated hitter gives the Giants the option of carrying him on the roster, even if he isn’t yet able to play the field.
But, asked last week about that possibility, La Stella said it was “certainly nice to have” the option but voiced his own concerns.
“There’s also having to be comfortable and capable running the bases,” he said. “It’s not just the defensive aspect of it.”
La Stella didn’t play the field in his first game back, then played four innings at second base in his second game, two days later, and hasn’t appeared in any of the Giants’ four games since. He was spotted walking with a slight limp two days after his first defensive appearance.
After being scratched Tuesday, La Stella was slated to undergo more treatment on the Achilles. He’ll be evaluated again Wednesday and could get reps at second base in the sim game that Alex Cobb is scheduled to throw at Oracle Park.
If La Stella isn’t ready by Opening Day, that could create additional time at second base for Dubon and Thairo Estrada and possibly mean the Giants would carry both utility men remaining in camp, Jason Vosler and Luke Williams, who were thought to be fighting for the last roster spot among position players.
Although the Giants have expressed optimism about La Stella’s timeline, all along they have said his status for Opening Day was up in the air, and Tuesday’s news did not change that outlook.
“We don’t want to take anything off the table,” Kapler said. “Players recover at variable speeds. Sometimes they don’t feel great one day and the next day they feel excellent. … We never want to limit their ability to move faster than we expect. On the other side of that coin is, he wasn’t able to play today. So that is something. It’s not nothing. We have to respect that.”
