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Giants’ Luis Gonzalez, Donovan Walton To Miss Start Of Season

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At least one and likely two players won’t be part of the Giants’ Opening Day roster, as outfielder Luis Gonzalez and utilityman Donovan Walton have both been sidelined with injuries.  Manager Gabe Kapler told Evan Webeck of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter links) and other reporters that Gonzalez will miss the next 4-6 weeks due to a lower back strain, and the team also told the media that Walton will be out until May due to his recovery from shoulder surgery.

Kapler specified that Gonzalez’s current problem is in a different area than the back strain that hampered the outfielder last season, though it does mark the third time in less than a year that back issues that kept Gonzalez out of action.  He missed a little over two weeks in June and July dealing with his first back strain, and Gonzalez was eventually shut down with another strain in late September.

After playing nine MLB games with the White Sox in 2020-21, Gonzalez was placed on waivers after undergoing season-ending surgery and then claimed by the Giants in August 2021.  (The team non-tendered Gonzalez over the offseason but re-signed him to a new minor league deal in pretty short order.)  As Gonzalez got healthy and started to receive more playing time, it looked like a very canny pickup for San Francisco, as the outfielder had an .869 OPS over his first 112 plate appearances of the 2022 season.  Gonzalez even won NL Rookie Of The Month honors for May, but that proved to be the peak of his year, as his numbers (undoubtedly impacted by his ongoing back issues) came back to earth.  Gonzalez ended up with a slightly below-average 95 wRC+ in 350 PA, slashing .254/.323/.360 with four homers, 17 doubles, and 10 steals in 12 chances.  He also made five mop-up appearances as a pitcher in blowout games, with a 5.68 ERA to show for his 6 1/3 innings on the mound.

Heading into 2023, Gonzalez’s injury will further complicate his path to more playing time in a crowded San Francisco outfield.  The Giants were aggressive in adding to their outfield mix over the offseason, as they re-signed Joc Pederson and signed Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto in free agency.  Even with Pederson mostly slated DH duty, Haniger and Conforto are expected to be the regular corner outfield combo, with Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater penciled into center field.  LaMonte Wade Jr., Thairo Estrada, Heliot Ramos, and non-roster invitees Stephen Piscotty and Bryce Johnson might also be considered.  Gonzalez has a minor league option remaining, meaning the Giants could send him to Triple-A as further depth once he recovers from his back problem.

Walton underwent his surgery back in September, after his shoulder issues resulted in a 60-day IL placement that prematurely ended his season.  Acquired in a trade with the Mariners last May, Walton had 78 total PA in the 2022 season (all with San Francisco) and he hit .158/.179/.303.

The 28-year-old Walton has appeared in each of the last four MLB seasons, though he has only 61 big league games on his resume after being frequently back and forth between the majors and minors with both the Giants and Mariners.  Walton has played mostly second base and shortstop during his career, but he has more recently branched out to some third base and left field work in order to add to his versatility and help his chances of sticking in the Show.

The Giants non-tendered Walton last November, but then re-signed him to a new minor league deal in December.  Since Walton is out of minor league options, San Francisco might eventually face a tricky roster decision when he is healthy, though that decision is still at least a couple of months away.





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