SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Infielder Parks Harber’s first major league camp ended a couple of days earlier than expected, but he will leave Scottsdale having affirmed why his bat is among the best in the Giants’ system.

Harber, the organization’s No. 16 prospect per Baseball America, underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed a Grade 2 hamstring strain and is expected to miss four to six weeks, which will force him to miss the start of the minor league regular season.

The 24-year-old Harber sustained the injury on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks while running from first to third on a double by catcher Eric Haase. Harber immediately appeared injured after rounding second base and hobbled his way to third before being removed from the game.

The injury marks an unfortunate end to Harber’s spring, one in which he made an impression with the bat. Over 33 plate appearances, Harber went 10-for-28 (.357) at the plate with a homer, four RBIs and a .995 OPS. Along with his production, Harber produced an impressive average exit velocity of 95.0 mph, which ranks in the 93rd percentile this spring.

“His conversations are always the same. I don’t say monotone because it makes it sound like he’s being boring in the dugout, but there’s a calm there,” manager Tony Vitello said. “It’s conversations opposed to getting too excited or getting down on himself. There’s a professional approach to hitting, and you saw that in his at-bats. The results were better towards the end, which is really unfortunate about the injury. I was really frustrated for him that that happened.”

Harber, who was part of the return from the New York Yankees for Camilo Doval, hasn’t stopped hitting since joining the organization last summer. Over 25 games with High-A Eugene, Harber slashed .333/.454/.644 with seven homers and 24 RBIs. He carried that hot bat into the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .383/.513/.683 with three home runs and 15 RBIs across 17 games.

“He’s a professional hitter in all regards,” said senior director of player development Kyle Haines. “He hits to all fields, he hits all pitch types, he hits for power, he hits for average. He’s a very professional, well-rounded offensive player in the box. It’s been really refreshing to see this. He’s really only played one year in the minors basically, and you don’t see this until guys get a little older, but it feels like he’s picked up on things really quick throughout his career.

Similar to outfield prospect Bo Davidson, Harber went undrafted despite playing well at Georgia and North Carolina, ultimately signing with the Yankees in 2024 for $50,000.

Upon turning pro, one of Harber’s main points of emphasis was to slim down and get in better shape. During his first offseason as a professional, Harber was intentional about his lifting, speed work, nutrition and sleep, ultimately shedding about 15 pounds. Harber has also emphasized defensive versatility, seeing time at first and third base in addition to the corner outfield.

“It was obviously stressful, right? I’d be lying to you if I said it wasn’t,” Harber said. “It is a dream of mine to get drafted. … I think the biggest thing was I didn’t put myself in a position to be a guy who was a draft guy. There were some things I needed to clean up, and I did have a good college career. I still think there was a lot left for me to do to kind of lock in my game.”

“He just looks a lot more mobile, a lot more agile,” said Vitello, who coached against Harber at Tennessee. “You can see it with some like Ichiro — tremendous hand-eye (coordination), great rhythm, competitiveness, all that stuff. Some guys just look like they were born with a gift to hit. I know he’s worked at it, but he has a knack for hitting.”

Harber will likely start the season with Double-A Richmond once he heals from his hamstring injury but could very well end the year with Triple-A Sacramento. While Harber had no chacne of making the team out of camp this spring, he could very well position himself to fight for a spot on the Giants’ 2027 Opening Day roster next spring.

“I just want to continue to be a sponge and be present where my feet are,” Harber said. “As I get to affiliated ball, what can I do to put myself in the best position every day? That’s kind of my intrinsic goal. I don’t try to (get) numbers or put pressure on myself because some of that stuff you can’t control. But I can control how I prepare, how good of a teammate I am, how much I listen to the coaches, how much I learn from my teammates.”