Luis

Gonzalez

Don’t worry, Yankees fans, it’s not THAT Luis González. This Luis González is a 27-year-old outfielder who was released by the Giants back in September. He was the NL Rookie of the Month with the Giants back in May 2022, and appeared in 98 games at the big league level that year, hitting .254/.323/.360 with four home runs and 10 steals. He did not appear in the majors last season after undergoing back surgery in March and played in 31 minor-league games before being released. The Yankees have a crowded outfield, so he figures to serve as organizational depth.

Gonzalez missed the majority of the year after undergoing lower back surgery at the end of spring training and was removed from San Francisco’s 40-man roster back in mid-August.

The 27-year-old outfielder was designated for assignment last week, but he somewhat surprisingly passed through waivers unclaimed and will continue to function as outfield depth for the Giants at the Triple-A level.

The Giants needed to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for the arrival of Wade Meckler on Monday and unfortunately that came at the cost of González. The 27-year-old underwent surgery at the end of spring training to repair a herniated disc in his lower back and has struggled in the minor leagues since his return. Still, he was a pretty productive big league player for the Giants in 2022 and may pique another club’s interest on waivers.

The 27-year-old outfielder underwent surgery at the end of March for a herniated disc in his lower back. He has been slowly ramping up over the past month and had hit .163/.308/.233 with no homers and four RBI in 52 plate appearances through 13 games on his minor league rehab assignment. He’ll continue to see everyday at-bats at Triple-A while he works to get his timing back.

The 27-year-old served as the designated hitter in a complex-league game in Arizona on Monday night as the first step in a long road to recovery. González has been shelved with a herniated disc in his lower back since the start of spring training.

González underwent surgery earlier this month for a herniated disc in his lower back. He’s expected to be sidelined for about four months, which gives him a chance to be a factor down the stretch.

It’s a tough break for the Giants as González will likely be sidelined until sometime in late July. The 27-year-old outfielder was hoping to be ready for Opening Day after dealing with back issues this spring, but wound up making the decision to undergo surgery after visiting a spine specialist earlier this week.

Gonzalez was hoping to be ready for Opening Day as he continues to deal with a bulging disc in his back. There should be an update on his status sometime prior to the start of the regular season.

That seems like a longshot, as Gonzalez was given a timeframe of 4-to-6 weeks when he was diagnosed with a bulging disc in his back at the end of February. Even if he is healthy enough to return to action by then, he’ll still need to get reps in before he’s ready to rejoin the Giants. Expect him to spend the first couple of weeks of the regular season on the injured list.