The Los Angeles Angels announced that they have acquired first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. from the San Francisco Giants for cash considerations or a player to be named later. The Angels designated right-hander Michael Darrell-Hicks for assignment in a corresponding move. Although Wade was a quality hitter for the Giants from 2021-24, he struggled enough to begin this season that they designated him for assignment earlier this week. He batted a meek .167/.275/.271 with one home run in 169 plate appearances before the Giants moved on from him. The 31-year-old will now have a chance to rebound with a new organization. The Angels already have a better lefty-swinging option at first base in Nolan Schanuel. However, Wade will provide some variety to an outfield/DH mix that features right-handed hitters Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Jorge Soler, and ... [More]

The San Francisco Giants designated first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. and catcher Sam Huff for assignment on Wednesday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Shayna Rubin. Wade gets the boot off the 40-man roster after opening the 2025 season with a .167/.275/.271 slash line with only one home run, 15 RBI and 12 runs scored through 144 at-bats. Because the 31-year-old has a $5 million salary for this year, he'll almost certainly clear waivers and become a free agent, and it shouldn't take him long to find another organization that will pay him. From 2021 to 2024 with the Giants, Wade hit .248/.352/.415 with 51 home runs and 161 RBI in 438 games played. With Wade now out of the picture, the Giants signed veteran Dominic Smith, who could be on the strong side of a platoon at first base to replace Wade.

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. was hit on the right hand by a pitch in the second inning of Monday night's game against the Padres and was replaced in the next half-inning by Casey Schmitt. He had an X-ray on his hand, but manager Bob Melvin said that the X-ray was negative, and he is day-to-day while dealing with a contusion. Schmitt will likely get most of the playing time if Wade misses a few games, and Jerar Encarnacion could also be in the mix after making his season debut on Monday night. Wade has struggled this season, hitting only .167 with one home run and a .251 wOBA in his 50 games. Schmitt has only hit .186 with a .264 wOBA in his 16 games, so neither option has been on the fantasy radar at this point. Encarnacion has a very high ceiling, so monitor his playing time and see if anyone can emerge as a fantasy option at the position for the Giants.

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. will retreat to the bench for Tuesday's game in Motown against the hosting Detroit Tigers. Casey Schmitt is making the start at first base and is batting seventh against Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty. The Giants are giving Wade a day off against a right-hander as he continues to struggle at the plate in 2025. The 31-year-old is hitting just .161/.270/.263 with a .533 OPS, one homer, 14 RBI and 12 runs scored in 137 games, including going 12-for-57 (.211) with three doubles, a triple, four RBI, five runs scored, seven walks and eight strikeouts in 20 games in the month of May. Wade could sit more often against righties if he continues to struggle. Schmitt hasn't been all that much better in a reserve role, going 7-for-30 (.233) with no homers and three RBI. He has a hit and an RBI in his lone at-bat against Flaherty.

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Wade will take a seat for the second straight game as the Angels send left-hander Tyler Anderson to the mound on Friday. Wade hasn't been much of a fantasy option anyway considering he's 5-for-49 with one home run and seven RBI on the season. In his absence Casey Schmitt will cover first base and bat sixth against Anderson. Schmitt hasn't been any better this season as he's 4-for-23 heading into Friday's contest.

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. will take a seat against a left-hander in Thursday's series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Casey Schmitt will start at first and bat fifth against Phillies southpaw Cristopher Sanchez. Wade just hasn't been able to find it at the plate early in the 2025 season despite San Fran's hot start, as he's hitting just .102 (5-for-49) with a homer, three doubles, a triple, seven RBI, eight walks and 20 strikeouts in 59 plate appearances. The 31-year-old could probably use a day off heading into a weekend series in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. Schmitt hasn't fared a whole lot better and will be a low-upside DFS play on Thursday. The 26-year-old has gone 4-for-19 with no homers, two RBI and a run scored as a bench option for the Giants. He has never faced Sanchez in his career.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. are not in the starting lineup on Saturday afternoon as the Giants will face left-handed pitcher Nick Lodolo. Instead, Luis Matos will enter the outfield and bat sixth, and Wilmer Flores will shift to first base. This opens up the designated hitter spot for Casey Schmitt. Yastrzemski did not see many opportunities against southpaws last season, either. Across 140 total games, Yastrzemski posted a .231/.302/.437 slash line with 16 doubles and 18 round-trippers. Wade also saw limited opportunities against southpaws last season but was productive in his limited stint, as he slashed a .324/.429/.412 line across 43 plate appearances. Both Flores and Matos are worth a look in DFS while facing Lodolo, who held a 4.76 ERA in 2024.

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. is expected to be the leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching to begin the season. Wade lacks the speed of the usual leadoff hitter, but makes up for it by drawing walks. Wade is hitting below .220 this spring, but he also has 10 walks, which does help make up for his lack of a batting average and lackluster speed. The 31-year-old would likely see a boost in fantasy value with the move to the top of the lineup. The leadoff hitter usually gets more at-bats and sometimes better pitches to hit because pitchers don't want to walk the first batter before getting to the two or three hole hitter.

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said that the team is toying with the idea of using outfielder Jung Hoo Lee in the third spot in the batting order in 2025 as he returns from a season-ending shoulder injury. First baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. is also healthy, and the Giants like his on-base skills at the top of the order in the leadoff spot. So as things stand at the beginning of spring training, it looks like Wade will lead off, followed by new shortstop Willy Adames, Lee, third baseman Matt Chapman and outfielder Heliot Ramos in the top half of the order. Lee played in only 37 games in his first year with San Fran in 2023, and while he made plenty of contact, his superior on-base skills from Japan didn't transfer over. A move down the order slightly would mean fewer runs scored but also give him more chances to drive in runs. Lee hit the ball hard in his small sample size last year, so more power could be coming in 2025.

First baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. and third baseman Matt Chapman each homered twice in the San Francisco Giants' 9-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The homers were the seventh and eighth for Wade Jr. and the 25th and 26th for Chapman. Both players knocked in two runs each. On the season, Wade Jr. is hitting .267 with eight home runs, 33 RBI, two stolen bases, and 44 runs scored. Chapman, who just signed a long-term extension to stay with the team, is hitting .249 with 26 home runs, 75 RBI, 15 stolen bases, and 95 runs scored. Wade Jr. and Chapman should be key components for the Giants next season.

San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. and outfielders Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski are all out of Wednesday's series finale against the Chicago White Sox at Oracle Park against All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet. Mark Canha is starting at first base and batting second, rookie Grant McCray is in center field and hitting ninth, and Jerar Encarnacion is in right field and in the five-hold. Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised at all that any of these three left-handed hitters are sitting out with a southpaw on the mound. Wade has only had 34 plate appearances against lefties in 2024. Crochet has been one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball this year, so none of Canha, McCray or Encarnacion should be particularly attractive DFS sleepers on Wednesday. Canha makes the most sense given his lineup spot and his .272 average (25-for-92) against lefties in 2024.

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and infielder Brett Wisely are both sitting on Monday against the hosting Washington Nationals with left-hander Patrick Corbin on the mound. Mark Canha will play first base and hit second, while Casey Schmitt will start at the keystone and bat in the five-hole against Corbin. Wade is actually hitting .450 against lefties this year, but he's only had 27 plate appearances against them. The 30-year-old lefty has hit a strong .294 (60-for-204) but with limited counting stats (four homers, 20 RBI) for fantasy managers. Out of the two-hole, Canha makes for an intriguing DFS sleeper on Monday against Corbin, who he is hitting .462 against with a 1.115 OPS, a homer and two RBI against in 26 career at-bats. Schmitt has faced Corbin three times and has a solo home run.

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and outfielder Michael Conforto are both starting on the bench for Thursday's series finale against the hosting division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers with left-hander Clayton Kershaw making his 2024 debut. David Villar will get the nod at first base and will hit sixth, while Derek Hill will draw into the lineup in left field and will bat in the nine-hole for the Giants against Kershaw. Villard does have a homer and two RBI in nine career at-bats against Kershaw but is also hitting .111 against him with a .555 OPS. Wade is hitting nearly .300 in 188 at-bats for the Gigantes this year but has missed time with injury and has provided fantasy managers with just three homers and 19 RBI. Conforto has actually fared better against lefties in 2024 but overall has been a below-average hitter, slashing .224/.296/.410 with 10 homers and 39 RBI in 268 at-bats.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto and first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. will be out of the starting lineup on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have left-hander Kyle Freeland taking the hill, who has been excellent over his last four starts (1.71 ERA in 26 1/3 innings). Conforto went 0-4 Friday night and will presumably be available off the bench if needed. In his career against Freeland, Conforto only has two singles in eight at-bats, with no home runs, walks, or RBI). Although Conforto has been solid this season versus lefties, hitting .276 with three HR and 10 RBI, the Giants seem content with giving him a breather tonight, but we expect him to be all-systems-go for the series finale on Sunday. Wade went 1-for-5 with a double in Friday's game and is slashing .308/.433/.419 with three home runs and 19 RBI over 65 games. Wilmer Flores is starting at first base and batting fifth while Wade gets a breather.

San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. is getting a breather in Thursday's series finale against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. With Wade starting on the bench, veteran Wilmer Flores will get the start at first base and will bat seventh for the Giants against Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman. Flores has hit .429 with a .929 OPS in seven career at-bats versus Gausman, although he'll still be a pretty bland DFS sleeper option near the bottom of the order in a tough matchup. The 32-year-old Venezuelan is hitting just .207 (42-for-203) this year with four homers and 25 RBI in a part-time role. Since returning from the injured list on June 28, Wade has hit .241 (7-for-29) with a homer, two doubles and an RBI. He's hitting over .300 on the season, but his counting stats are lacking for fantasy managers.UPDATE: Manager Bob Melvin said Wade has a little hamstring tightness, but the feeling is that next week's All-Star break will help Wade get to 100%.

San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) is expected to come off the 10-day injured list on Friday. Wade will return to the Giants after missing the last month of action due to a Grade 2 left-hamstring strain. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter went 1-for-7 with four walks and two strikeouts in three minor-league rehab games with Triple-A Sacramento before getting the green light to return to the big leagues this weekend. His return will push veteran infielder Wilmer Flores back into more of a utility role for San Fran. If Wade is available on your league's waiver wire, he's surely worth a pickup, as he's going to play regularly after slashing .333/.470/.426 with an .896 OPS in his first 129 at-bats this year.

San Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday. The 30-year-old currently resides on the 10-day injured list and has not appeared in a big-league contest since May 27. Wade had been off to a nice start to his season as he was hitting .333 with a pair of homers alongside an .896 OPS across 52 appearances but a bloated .436 BABIP was due for significant regression while his .093 isolated power was well below his career .169 mark. Nonetheless, he still walked in a whopping 19.9% trips to the plate, a figure just slightly below his 21.1% K% on the season. The lefty-swinging Wade is an intriguing streaming option when he gets into the lineup against right-handed pitching.

San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. The Giants expect him to miss around a month of action. This was expected to happen after Wade suffered a hamstring injury during Monday's game. This is a shame, considering Wade has been an on-base machine this season. Wilmer Flores figures to see increased playing time at first base for the Gigantes with Wade set to miss time. Trenton Brooks is at first on Tuesday and is hitting ninth against Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler.

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said after Monday's win over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies that first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) will get an MRI on Tuesday, but the infielder is likely going on the 10-day injured list. Wade exited Monday's series opener due to a strained left hamstring that he sustained while legging out a double in the fifth inning, and he needed help walking off the field before being replaced by Wilmer Flores. Monday was Wade's first game back in San Fran's lineup since Friday after he nursed a minor left hamstring issue over the weekend, so he may have aggravated the problem. The 30-year-old on-base machine has been a lineup fixture for the Giants this year, slashing a hearty .333/.470/.426 with two home runs, 17 RBI, 22 runs scored, and one stolen base over 166 plate appearances (52 games), and it'll be a big loss to their offense for however long he's sidelined.

San Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) is back in the starting lineup on Monday and will bat in the two-hole. Wade remained out of the starting lineup over the past two days due to a minor hamstring injury. This is a great sign, as the 30-year-old has been cleared and will look to continue his excellent start to the season. He currently holds a .333/.472/.421 line with two home runs and one stolen base. He has shown an excellent eye at the plate with a 20.2% walk rate, which is currently the best in the sport among qualified hitters. Wade remains a strong batting average contributor and a must-roster player in leagues that score on-base percentage. He is worth playing in DFS as he will go up against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker, who enters the contents with a 5.06 ERA.