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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.<\/p>\n
Ross D. Franklin\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
DENVER\u00a0\u2014 Heliot Ramos<\/a> spent six weeks on the IL with a quad strain, then hopped straight into action as if he\u2019d never left.<\/p>\n He\u2019s 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<\/a> snap their season-long eight game losing streak to Arizona.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t suffer at all during the layoff, which is not necessarily the norm.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t really surprise me,\u201d Ramos said after Wednesday night\u2019s game. \u201cI know the kind of player I am, what I can give when I\u2019m like healthy and I\u2019m out there in the field, so it\u2019s just a matter of time for me, it\u2019s just a matter of playing time and just staying consistent and positive at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Ramos felt he was on the right path when he was hurt in May so he didn\u2019t try to reinvent himself while he was on the IL nor did he do much extra hitting on the Trajekt machine.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMy 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,\u201d Ramos said. \u201cSometimes it doesn\u2019t come, but at the end of the day, I think I\u2019m a hitter first, and that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I got to Sacramento and played rehab games. I was mentally ready. I took it and transferred it to the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n While Ramos was rehabbing, Casey Schmitt<\/a> was thrown into left field. Now Schmitt\u2019s back in the more familiar territory of the infield, while Ramos finds himself in right\u00a0\u2014 not always, but when Jung Hoo Lee<\/a> is in center, at least.<\/p>\n Ramos is all in favor. He played a lot of right in high school and more than 100 games there in the minors, too.<\/p>\n \u201cI love it,\u201d Ramos said. \u201cIt\u2019s a position I feel really comfortable, but honestly, anywhere they put me I\u2019ll be (happy) there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n There have a multitude of outfielders, too, complicating matters. Harrison Bader<\/a> 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\u2019s also the kind of homegrown slugger to build around\u00a0\u2014 and even in arbitration, he\u2019d continue to be one of the team\u2019s cheaper sources of power.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n