MILWAUKEE -- Matt Chapman is back.
After sitting out nine games with right hand inflammation, Chapman was activated from the 10-day injured list prior to the Giants’ game against the Brewers at American Family Field on Saturday.
Chapman has been dealing with the hand issue since June 8, when he sprained several finger ligaments on a dive back to first base. He missed close to a month before returning to action on July 5, but he ended up landing back on the IL on Aug. 13 after continuing to feel more discomfort in his hand.
The five-time Gold Glover received two cortisone injections to try to alleviate the inflammation and said he feels more comfortable swinging and taking batting practice than he did before his second IL stint. He’s acknowledged that his hand might not feel completely back to normal until the offseason, but he’s hoping it’ll be playable enough to get him through the end of the regular season.
"I feel good about coming back,” Chapman said. “I’m excited to be back out there with the guys. Obviously, it sucks missing 10 [days] in a very important part of the season. I feel guilty when I don’t play. I feel like I let the team down when I’m not playing. Not that that means that I’m going to come back and magically things are going to turn around. But I’m glad to be able to be out there and help the guys and be a part of it for this last push and just be there for the rest of the season. Finish this thing off strong and see what happens.”
Chapman started at third base and batted sixth against Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta on Saturday, but manager Bob Melvin said he expects the 32-year-old veteran to slide back into the heart of the Giants’ order before long.
“I know he just wants to play,” Melvin said. “It drives him crazy when he’s not out there. It’s good to have him back. We’ll start him out a little bit lower in the lineup. I’ll probably scoot him up tomorrow after a few at-bats today, but it’s always nice to have him back. Certainly defensively, the presence he brings to our team. And he’s got some power.”
Chapman batted only .133 (6-for-45) with two RBIs over his previous 13 games, so the Giants are hoping the time off will help revitalize him down the stretch.
"You’re trying to do whatever you can to find ways to be productive and get the bat through the zone,” Chapman said.
"Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to push through that pain there at the end and got the cortisone [shot] in the hopes that I can help us for the rest of the season.”
With Chapman back manning third base, the Giants are planning to give Casey Schmitt another look at second base the rest of the way.
Tyler Fitzgerald, who started out as San Francisco’s regular second baseman before slumping badly over the first three months of the season, was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento to clear a spot on the 26-man roster for Chapman.