Luis

Matos

Matos was recalled after Mike Yastrzemski hit the injured list last week. He’s collected at least one hit in all four starts, including a solo homer in the fifth inning off of Drew Smyly on Wednesday. The 22-year-old outfielder is slashing .253/.272/.374 with three homers and 21 RBI across 103 plate appearances. Given his bat-to-ball skills and improved hard-hit rate, he should get a chance to continue improving on his .253 BABIP and could be relevant in five-outfielder leagues.

Matos gets the call to rejoin San Francisco’s crowded outfield mix with Mike Yastrzemski hitting the injured list with an oblique strain. The 22-year-old former top prospect was ostensibly beaten out by Heliot Ramos for the starting center field job a couple weeks ago and figures to play sparingly moving forward.

Matos cooled off quickly after a big start for the Giants, going 9-for-59 with no extra-base hits in his last 14 games. He’s still just 22 years old, and he’ll definitely get more chances, but the Giants are picking Heliot Ramos over him for now.

Blake Snell went on the IL, allowing the Giants a chance to push back the decision on which hitter to cut to make room for Conforto. Heliot Ramos will be displaced from left field by Conforto’s return, but he figures to remain in the lineup the majority of the time, probably at Luis Matos’s expense.

Matos was 0-for-3 in the contest before his fly to left entered the game. It’s hard to say if the Giants will keep both he and Heliot Ramos after Michael Conforto comes off the IL, something that should happen this weekend. The Giants consider Matos the better option in center, but Ramos has been the more impressive hitter to date.

Fellow outfielder Austin Slater (concussion) is starting a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, and Conforto could join him later in the week. The 31-year-old is off to a tremendous start with a .280/.331/.490 slash line and seven home runs in 38 games. He was placed on the IL on May 12th and his return to the active roster could be bad news for one of Luis Matos or Heliot Ramos, who have been playing regularly since Conforto was injured.

Ramos finds himself buried at towards the tail-end of San Francisco’s lineup despite batting .281 (16-for-57) with two homers, nine RBI and one steal in 15 games since returning to the majors back on May 8. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the 24-year-old former prospect stick in the majors for good following the season-ending injury to rookie Jung Hoo Lee (shoulder). It’s Luis Matos continuing to get opportunities at the top of the lineup, which makes him the safer option for fantasy managers speculating on a waiver wire pickup.

Luis Matos, who hit third last night, is in the leadoff spot tonight. Soler is 4-for-18 with a couple of walks since returning from the injured list last week. He’s at .204/.295/.358 overall in 38 games this season.

Giants manager Bob Melvin has bumped a sizzling-hot Matos up to the heart of the order for the first time this season. The 22-year-old former top prospect has batted a sublime .385 (10-for-26) with two homers and a staggering 16 RBI in seven contests since returning to the majors back on May 12. He’s absolutely worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats, despite some lackluster underlying quality of contact metrics.

Matos continued his RBI barrage on Saturday, blasting a three-run homer off Ty Blach in the first inning. He doubled in the third to drive in a run and added two more RBI in the eighth to make it six on the day and 11 over his last two games. The 22-year-old outfielder has gotten off to a hot start at the plate with the Giants, going 10-for-26 with two homers and 17 RBI. With Jung Hoo Lee (shoulder) out for the season, Matos should be a regular in the lineup and brings intriguing power and speed, hitting three homers with three steals across 31 games in Triple-A before his call-up.