Struggling San Francisco Giants send Hunter Pence to DL

Another piece of bad news came for the San Francisco Giants Monday when they placed their right fielder, Hunter Pence, on the 10-day disabled list.

Originally, the San Francisco Giants did not believe Hunter Pence’s left hamstring ailment would be enough for him to miss time, but an MRI showed a mild hamstring strain.

Pence has dealt with hamstring issues since last season. He missed 48 games in 2016 due to an injury in his right hamstring. Eventually, Pence underwent surgery to remove a torn tendon in his leg. In total, this is his fifth trip to the disabled list since the beginning of the 2015 season.

The four-time All-Star missed both of the Giants outings this weekend against the Cincinnati Reds. He was the only player to miss action prior to these two games.

Pence’s injury is just the latest in a string debilitating losses. Ace Madison Bumgarner will reportedly be out until August because of an injury he suffered due to a dirt biking incident in April. Closer Mark Melancon, who signed a four-year, $62 million contract during free agency, was recently placed on the 10-day DL. Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey also spent time on the DL earlier this season.

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Luckily, Pence believes his stay on the DL will not be an extended one:

"“I don’t feel terribly bad. Hopefully we can knock this out real quick. According to what they told me, I should be ready right around the time I come off the D.L., maybe a day earlier.”"

As of Monday, the Giants are nine games out of first place in the NL West. This injury won’t help in their long road back towards being a contender in 2017.

The Giants brought up Mac Williamson from Triple-A Sacramento in response to the frustrating injury, per Michael Wagaman of MLB.com.