The San Francisco Giants made a roster shakeup earlier today as they sent down 22-year-old outfielder Luis Matos to Triple-A Sacramento for veteran Austin Slater. This move has not been sitting well with a lot of fans.
Matos was called up to the big leagues in mid-May and was red hot immediately. He won the NL Player of the Week but the last couple of weeks has struggled at the plate. Austin Slater has been with SF for eight years, where he has primarily been used as a specialist against left-handed pitching. Slater was just cleared to come off the injured list from his concussion last month.
This is a very controversial move for the Giants to make, as Slater has not been good this year at all, hitting a lowly .128. Matos despite being in a week-long slump, was still hitting .224 and one of the Giants RBI leaders since being called up. The Giants are hoping Slater can help end their six-game losing streak.
Giants Send Down Struggling Matos
Luis Matos was on a tear after being called up to the Giants this year. In his first week back in the Majors since 2023, Matos won the National League Player of the Week Award. In addition to this, Matos was making some phenomenal plays in center field.
The last week and a half for Matos has been a struggle. He was hitting .180 since his red-hot start and then the Giants started losing games. This paired with Slater getting healthy was the perfect storm for Matos to get sent back down to Triple-A Sacramento.
I’m hoping this doesn’t rattle Matos too much since I think he’s still going to play a big part in the Giants 2024 season. It’s disappointing to see the Giants have such a short leash with some of their young players. They should be letting guys like Luis Matos, Heliot Ramos, and Marco Luciano get more run even if they hit a little bump in the road.
Giants Call Up Veteran Austin Slater
Austin Slater is the longest-tenured San Francisco Giants player. The 31-year-old Slater is in his 8th season in San Francisco. Since joining the club, he has hit .254 with 38 home runs and 154 RBIs.
The 2024 season has not been kind to Slater. In addition to getting a concussion while crashing into a wall, Slater has only hit .128 with zero home runs and 1 RBI. The clock is ticking on Slater’s time and he knows he has to step up immediately. Slater is hitting leadoff in his first game back against the Diamondbacks this afternoon.
Fan Reaction in San Francisco
There are a lot of fans in San Francisco who are not happy with this move (I would include myself in this category). Fans of this team have been waiting to see everyday players who were developed in the farm system contribute to the big league club.
With Matos, we did see that. Then because of a week-long slump, he’s back in the Minor Leagues? I’d like to see them let the young players play through their growing pains a little bit more. The Giants have to find out if these guys are truly the future of the club or if they will have to pivot.
Also Read: Philadelphia Phillies Starting Pitching Powering Team To Awesome Start To 2024 Season
About the Author
Cory is an Oregon Duck alumni from the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been playing, watching, and following basketball + baseball his whole life. Follow Cory on X @cory_pappas1 for more breaking stories and game previews.
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