Mike Yastrzemski is back

Much to the delight of everyone, Mike Yastrzemski is back. The San Francisco Giants activated the left-handed outfielder from the 10-day Injured List on Saturday ahead of their doubleheader against the Washington Nationals. Because the teams are playing two games, the Giants don’t need to clear a space on the roster for Yastrzemski until Sunday.

Yaz hasn’t played since injuring his thumb trying to make a catch in a loss to the Los Angeles Angels on June 1. It was his second stint of the year on the IL, following an oblique strain that sidelined him for the final week of April and the first week of May.

Here’s hoping he can stay healthy this time around, especially since everyone else on the team keeps getting injured, too.

It feels like Yaz has had a quite season, partially because of the injuries, partially because so many other players have had breakout years, and partially because he set the bar unsustainably high with his MVP push in 2020’s 60-game season. But quiet or not, it’s been a really good season for Yastrzemski when he’s been healthy: he’s slashing .222/.332/.456, good for a 121 OPS+, a 117 wRC+, 1.6 rWAR, and 1.1 fWAR, despite having just 184 plate appearances.

Steven Duggar and LaMonte Wade Jr. have been doing a tremendous job filling in for Yaz while he’s been out, but it’s probably safe to say that the organization doesn’t want to have to rely on both of them on a daily basis.

Welcome back, Yaz. You’ve been missed.