Versatile Jerar Encarnación returns to Giants after March surgery on his broken left hand

Sport

Versatile Jerar Encarnación returns to Giants after March surgery on his broken left hand

2025-06-03 13:19 Last Updated At：13:20

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Bob Melvin has been waiting for the chance to write Jerar Encarnación's name into San Francisco's lineup.

The versatile Encarnación came off the 60-day injured list Monday and made his season debut in a 1-0, 10-inning loss to the San Diego Padres in the opener of the four-game series at Oracle Park.

Encarnación went 0 for 3 after replacing Mike Yastrzemski in the sixth and lined out to end the game against flame-throwing Padres closer Robert Suarez in an at-bat that impressed his manager.

“First day back you're pushed into some pretty tough opportunities,” Melvin said. “It looked like he was more comfortable as the game went along.”

Melvin hoped that he could start Tuesday — whether that's at first base or in right field.

Encarnación underwent surgery in March on his broken left hand after he was injured trying to make a diving catch during spring training. He batted .302 with two home runs and 14 RBIs in Cactus League play after hitting .248 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 113 at-bats last year.

“We know he can give us some power and he's got power to all fields,” Melvin said. “We saw it at the end of last year, we saw it in spring training. When we were about to leave spring training there were going to be a lot of at-bats for him.”

The Giants could use a big boost at the plate, and Encarnación hopes to deliver.

“I'm just going to do what I'm able to do to contribute to the team,” said Encarnación, a Dominican Republic native who made his major league debut with Miami in 2022 and joined the Giants as a free agent last May.

The Giants optioned outfielder Luis Matos to Triple-A Sacramento so he can further develop and play regularly.

San Francisco returned home having dropped five of nine games on its road trip to Washington, Detroit and Miami. The Giants have scored only 30 runs over their last 16 games — the club’s fewest in such a stretch since also being limited to 30 runs from June 23-July 8, 2014 — then were shut out for the seventh time this year and third in their last nine games.

“That's the good thing about him is he can play multiple positions, he can pinch hit,” Melvin said. “It's nice to have him back. Spring training we were talking about how impactful he was going to be. He was having a great spring and next thing you know he's out for a while. He feels good at the plate, he hit some home runs the last couple days, he's ready to go.”

Encarnación has been eager to rejoin the Giants, but embraced his faith and that it took the time it did for him to fully recover and come back. He missed the first 59 games, then made seven rehab appearances with Triple-A Sacramento last week, playing three games at first base, starting two as designated hitter and two more in right field.

“I'm so happy and content that I'm here,” he said, before adding with a smile a few minutes later that he's “great, muy bueno.”

Pitcher Logan Webb is thrilled to have that spirt from Encarnación back in the clubhouse and on the diamond.

“My favorite thing about Jerar is the enthusiasm and smile, the energy he brings to the dugout every day,” Webb said. “I'm very excited to have him back and I think everyone in here is excited as well.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Dozens presumed dead and about 100 injured in fire at Swiss Alps bar during New Year's celebration

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Dozens of people are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a Swiss Alps bar during a New Year’s celebration, police said Thursday.

“Several tens of people” were killed at the bar, Le Constellation, Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said.

Work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families but “that will take time and for the time being it is premature to give you a more precise figure," Gisler said.

Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general of the Valais Canton, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.

“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.

Officials called the blaze an “embrasement généralisé,” a firefighting term describing how a blaze can trigger the release of combustible gases that can then ignite violently and cause what English-speaking firefighters would call a flashover or a backdraft.

“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, Rénard said.

Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said.

“We are devastated,” Frédéric Gisler, commander of the Valais Cantonal police, said during a news conference.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, according to regional councilor Mathias Rénard.

The municipality had banned New Year’s Eve fireworks due to lack of rainfall in the past month, according to its website.

In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.

The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, and 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Zurich.

The highest point of Crans-Montana, with a population of 10,000 residents, sits at an elevation of nearly 3,000 meters (1.86 miles), according to the municipality’s website, which says officials are seeking to move away from a tourist culture and attract high-tech research and development.

The municipality was formed only nine years ago, on Jan. 1, 2017, when multiple towns merged. It extends over 590 hectares (2.3 square miles) from the Rhône Valley to the Plaine Morte glacier.

Crans-Montana is one of the top race venues on the World Cup circuit in Alpine skiing and will host the next world championships over two weeks in February 2027.

In four weeks’ time, the resort will host the best men’s and women’s downhill racers for their last events before going to the Milan Cortina Olympics, which open Feb. 6.

Crans-Montana also is a premium venue in international golf. The Crans-sur-Sierre club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course with stunning mountains views.