SAN FRANCISCO — As the Giants try to sort out their roster for the rest of the season and decide if they want to take extended looks at minor leaguers, a powerful outfielder has been sidelined because of a lingering injury.
Mac Williamson was put on the Triple-A disabled list on Saturday and will undergo additional testing to determine if he is again having issues related to a concussion he suffered in April. Williamson has not played since August 7. General manager Bobby Evans said the Giants are gathering info, and Williamson’s current issues are “possibly connected to his concussion earlier in the season. (He is) being evaluated.”
Williamson, 28, appeared on the verge of a breakout earlier this season. He overhauled his swing in the offseason and had a huge spring before posting a 1.626 OPS and hitting six homers in his first 11 minor league games. Williamson made an immediate impact upon his promotion, hitting three homers in his first five games, but he went down hard after tripping over the bullpen mound on April 24.
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Williamson missed 27 games and saw a specialist when the Giants visited Pittsburgh in May. He couldn’t recapture that early magic after returning, batting .187 in 23 games before getting sent back down. At times, Williamson appeared to be finding traction in Triple-A, but overall his numbers were down significantly. Williamson was 3-for-26 in August before getting shut down. It’s unclear when he might have started dealing with symptoms again.
The Giants figured to take a look at several young players in September if they fail to make a dent in the standings over the next couple of weeks. At some point, they need to figure out what they have in Williamson and Chris Shaw, who has had strikeout issues in Triple-A but also has 22 homers this season.
--- Brandon Belt joined Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday and will play five innings. He should be back by Tuesday. Hunter Strickland will pitch another inning on his rehab assignment tonight. He is expected to be activated when eligible August 18.