Mike Yastrzemski could possibly be available off the bench Wednesday

The San Francisco Giants have been hit by the injury bug lately, but they could receive some good news over the final few games of the season. There’s a chance that outfielder Mike Yastrzemski could return as early as Wednesday night, albeit in a pinch-hitting role.

Yastrzemski took batting practice on Tuesday, and also did some work in the outfield and hit 10 mph on the treadmill. The Giants revealed after their 5-2 win over the Colorado Rockies that he could be ready to go as a bench option, though it’s still not certain.

Yastrzemski suffered a mild strain to his right calf last Thursday during the Giants win over the Seattle Mariners. He hasn’t played since, but the Giants opted to keep him off the Injured List, which would have ended his regular season.

The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly reports that the team is still hopeful that their star outfielder can return in full for the final series of the season, a crucial four-game set against the San Diego Padres that will likely determine the Giants postseason fate.

Yastrzemski’s return, even off the bench, would be enormous for the Giants. He’s hitting .285/.390/.553, with success against righties and lefties alike. He leads the Giants in Wins Above Replacement with 2.3, and has been the team’s best player since Opening Day.

Here’s hoping he can return and impact the Giants run towards one of the Wild Card spots. It would be a bummer if the best story on the 2020 Giants was unable to play in the most important games.