SAN FRANCISCO -- As expected, LaMonte Wade Jr. was activated on Friday afternoon. But Wade wasn't the only notable name to join the Giants from their Triple-A roster.
Sean Hjelle, the organization's second-round pick in 2018, was called up and will look to make his big league debut.
Hjelle was off to good start in Triple-A and was called into manager Dave Brundage's office after Thursday's game and given a speech by Brundage and pitching coach Garvin Alston about the proper way to handle umpires during a game.
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"They gave me a little spiel about not getting on umpires and letting it affect the way you pitch," Hjelle said. "We've had some incidents down there the last couple of weeks. They said, 'Make sure, because we're playing for the big leagues, and when you get up there umpires won't care who you are, they'll get you. So when you get up there tomorrow, just make sure.' It was pretty good. He got me."
Hjelle has a 4.37 ERA this year, but he allowed only four earned runs in four April starts. His numbers were skewed by his last appearance, a 16-8 loss Sunday in Albuquerque, one of the most hitter-friendly environments in professional baseball. Hjelle gave up seven earned runs that day, but the reports about his stuff and strike-throwing have been encouraging.
“He’s been in the (strike) zone more in Triple-A this year than last year,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “A big initiative for him was attacking the strike zone with his sinker. He’s getting a lot of balls on the ground.”
Hjelle will be available out of the bullpen Friday against the Cardinals. His wife and two young sons drove down from Sacramento for the game and he has about a dozen family members and friends flying in, including his parents and grandfather.
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For Wade, the day was much more normal. After injuring his knee during spring training he has missed the entire season, but he played back-to-back games in Triple-A earlier this week. Wade woke up a little sore the next day, but on Friday morning he felt ready to go. He’s leading off for Kapler and playing right field.
“I’m feeling good,” Wade said. “I’m pretty excited. Ready to go.”
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Wade, as he did last year, has a nice mustache going for Mustache May, but Hjelle might have him beat. He showed up on the first day of camp in March with a stache that’s still going strong.
"You've gotta be prepared," Hjelle said. "Boy Scouts -- I was never one, but you can take a lesson from them."