SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Jung Hoo Lee’s availability for Opening Day is already up in the air. Now, the status of Jerar Encarnacion is also ambiguous.
Encarnacion exited Friday afternoon’s game against the Cleveland Guardians due to an apparent injury to his left ring finger after diving for a ball in right field, jeopardizing his availability for the Giants’ first game of the season.
“He was just trying to lay out and make a good play and caught his fingers underneath,” said manager Bob Melvin.
Encarnacion, 27, projects to make the Giants’ Opening Day roster as a bench bat who can play first base and both corner outfield positions. He’s solidified his spot on this team with an excellent spring, hitting .302 with two homers, a team-high 14 RBIs and an .856 OPS over 20 Cactus League games this spring.
If Encarnacion begins the season on the injured list, one of the candidates who could fill Encarnacion’s specific role is David Villar. The 28-year-old is out of options, meaning the Giants must designate him for assignment if he’s not on the Opening Day roster. This spring, Villar is hitting .190/.261/.381 with two homers and four RBIs.
Grant McCray is currently competing for a spot on the Giants’ Opening Day roster as well, but he stands to provide more value with speed and defense than with his bat.
Jake Lamb, a non-roster invite, could be another option, though he was reassigned to minor league camp prior to Friday’s game. Lamb, a left-handed hitter, .273 /.333/.364 with three doubles this spring.
Encarnacion signed a minor-league deal with the Giants after hitting after hitting 19 home runs In 26 games for Guerreros de Oaxaca of the Mexican League. He continued to impress with Triple-A Sacramento (10 homers, 1.054 OPS) and earned a promotion to San Francisco. Encarnacion had modest results the Giants, hitting five home runs and totaling 19 RBIs with a .248 batting average over 35 games, but the true allure of Encarnacion resides in his batted ball data.
If Encarnacion played enough games to qualify, his 95.0 mph average exit velocity would’ve ranked fourth in average exit velocity behind only Aaron Judge (96.2 mph), Shohei Ohtani (95.8 mph) and Oneil Cruz (95.5 mph). Encarnacion would’ve also ranked in the top-five of hard hit percentage and bat speed.
