5:23pm: Smith has officially been placed on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. Outfielder Jerar Encarnacion was recalled to the roster in a corresponding move.
2:24pm: Patrick Bailey’s walkoff grand slam gave San Francisco a memorable 5-1 win over the Dodgers yesterday, but it wasn’t an entirely perfect night for the surging Giants. First baseman Dominic Smith had to make an early exit in the fourth inning after suffering a thigh strain, and manager Bob Melvin said postgame that Smith would undergo an MRI.
“Usually those things are a little bit tougher, but I think it’s higher [on his hamstring], which is a little bit better. We’re not sure where it’s going to go,” Melvin told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters, before praising Smith’s determination in completing the play that led to his injury.
Matt Chapman made a diving stop of an Andy Pages grounder in the top of the fourth, and then rocketed a throw across the diamond that was aimed just a bit short of first base. However, Smith made a big stretch to snag the throw just before Pages hit the bag, and the inning-ending out was upheld after a replay challenge from the Dodgers. Smith was in obvious discomfort after making the play, and Wilmer Flores pinch-hit for Smith in the bottom half of the fourth.
2025 has been a resurgent season for Smith, who hit only .241/.311/.360 over 1538 plate appearances with four different teams from 2021-24. Starting this year on a pair of minor league contracts with the Yankees, Smith didn’t receive a call-up, and triggered an opt-out clause to re-enter free agency in June, with the Giants quickly signing the first baseman to a Major League deal.
The result has been a .284/.333/.417 slash line across 225 plate appearances for Smith in a San Francisco uniform. A .329 BABIP has helped Smith overcome some uninspiring hard contact numbers, but Smith has been making a lot of contact (18.7% strikeout rate) in general. The majority of his playing time has come against right-handed pitching, as the Giants utilized the lefty-swinging Smith in a first base platoon initially with Flores.
Rafael Devers’ emergence as a first baseman didn’t knock Smith out of the lineup, and Flores has increasingly been the odd man out with Devers and Smith splitting time between the first base and DH slots. Should Smith have to miss time on the injured list, Flores is the most logical candidate to step into his role.
Smith’s signing didn’t draw much buzz back in June, yet in classic “you just never know” fashion, his health may play a significant factor in the playoff race. The red-hot Giants have won 14 of their 18 games and the Mets are on a seven-game losing streak, leaving San Francisco just a half-game behind New York for the final NL wild card slot. With things finally clicking for the Giants, the last thing they need is an injury to a player who has become a lineup staple.
