San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos, right, celebrates his home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks with Giants’ Victor Bericoto during a game, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Phoenix.
Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press
DENVER — Heliot Ramos spent six weeks on the IL with a quad strain, then hopped straight into action as if he’d never left.
He’s homered twice and nearly had a third Wednesday, knocking a triple off the very top of the right-field wall to drive in another run and help the San Francisco Giants snap their season-long eight game losing streak to Arizona.
Rehab was a breeze: In his seven games at Triple-A Sacramento, Ramos hit .346 with four extra-base hits and scored seven runs. His batting eye didn’t suffer at all during the layoff, which is not necessarily the norm.
Article continues below this ad
“It didn’t really surprise me,” Ramos said after Wednesday night’s game. “I know the kind of player I am, what I can give when I’m like healthy and I’m out there in the field, so it’s just a matter of time for me, it’s just a matter of playing time and just staying consistent and positive at the time.”
Ramos felt he was on the right path when he was hurt in May so he didn’t try to reinvent himself while he was on the IL nor did he do much extra hitting on the Trajekt machine.
San Francisco Chronicle Logo
Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.
Add Preferred Source
“My thought process was just not try to change anything that I was doing, because I know I want to slug, I know I want to hit for power,” Ramos said. “Sometimes it doesn’t come, but at the end of the day, I think I’m a hitter first, and that’s what I think has given me so much success so far, just being able to hit the ball the other way, drive in runs, move the runners and all that. Playing the situational game is something that really helped me.
“When I got to Sacramento and played rehab games. I was mentally ready. I took it and transferred it to the field.”
Article continues below this ad
While Ramos was rehabbing, Casey Schmitt was thrown into left field. Now Schmitt’s back in the more familiar territory of the infield, while Ramos finds himself in right — not always, but when Jung Hoo Lee is in center, at least.
Ramos is all in favor. He played a lot of right in high school and more than 100 games there in the minors, too.
“I love it,” Ramos said. “It’s a position I feel really comfortable, but honestly, anywhere they put me I’ll be (happy) there.”
Ramos had a rough year in left last season, with a minus-12 run value in outs above average per Statcast. He looked better there this season before he was hurt, but many in the organization have suggested over the years that right is the better spot for him, though. The only problem is that Lee is the better right fielder (and better there than he is in center). For now, flexibility will be the watchword.
There have a multitude of outfielders, too, complicating matters. Harrison Bader will come off the IL at some point in the next month or so. Could the Giants be open to moving Ramos, a 2024 All-Star, before the deadline? He is arbitration-eligible after this season and, at 26, he could bring back a nice return. There is sure to be interest should the team make him available but he’s also the kind of homegrown slugger to build around — and even in arbitration, he’d continue to be one of the team’s cheaper sources of power.
Article continues below this ad
There’s no doubt that manager Tony Vitello is delighted to have Ramos back in the lineup and immediately contributing.
“He looks so good in batting practice, we saw what he looked like on the bases and in the batter’s box and it was like the sooner the better for him,” Vitello said. “He looks stronger. However he handled that time off was phenomenal.”