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At long last, Brandon Belt is back. The San Francisco Giants activated the first baseman on Thursday in time for their series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he’ll bat seventh in a stacked lineup.
To make room on the roster for Belt, the Giants placed Kevin Gausman on the Paternity List as he is expecting the birth of his second child.
ROSTER MOVES: IF Brandon Belt returned from his rehab assignment and reinstated from the 10-day Injured List.
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 5, 2021
RHP Kevin Gausman placed on the Paternity List.
The Giants have spent the last few days shuffling things around to avoid the incoming severe roster crunch as players get healthy. Tommy La Stella was activated off the injured list on Wednesday, and the Giants made room by placing Anthony DeSclafani on the IL due to soreness, where he’s expected to miss just one start.
DeSclafani and Gausman will be back soon, and the Giants will have to find a way to make space on the roster, though it could be a continuous string of IL assignments until rosters expand in September.
Belt, who hasn’t played since June 23, is hitting .253/.363/.512 on the season, which is a very solid offensive performance. It’s unclear if he’ll be the everyday first baseman, or if he’ll platoon with Darin Ruf.