MLB denies SF Giants’ appeal for LaMonte Wade Jr. to participate in Rickwood Classic

CHICAGO — LaMonte Wade Jr. ran the bases, took ground balls at first base and took cuts in the batting cage Tuesday at Wrigley Field. Despite their best efforts, the Giants’ only Black position player may not be able to participate in their game Thursday honoring the Negro Leagues at historic Rickwood Field.

It will come down to whether or not Wade’s left hamstring cooperates enough to merit activating him from the injured list after the organization made a last-ditch appeal that was denied by Major League Baseball. Both teams will be eligible to add a 27th player to their roster for the game, and the Giants requested to use that spot on Wade without impacting his roster status.

“They declined that, at this point, unfortunately,” manager Bob Melvin said.

Since straining his hamstring on May 27, Wade has targeted the Giants’ one-off game in Birmingham, Alabama, which would require him to return a week or more ahead of the timeline he was given at the time of the injury. He is one of a handful of prominent Black players in MLB and one of three in the Giants’ clubhouse, along with pitchers Spencer Bivens and Jordan Hicks.

Rickwood Field, opened in 1909, is the oldest operating professional ballpark in the country and was home to the Negro Leagues’ Birmingham Black Barons, who gave Willie Mays his first playing opportunity at 17 years old in 1948. It has since played host to minor-league baseball, which is how Wade became one of two Giants — along with Melvin — to play a game on that sod already.

“I wasn’t really thinking about (the history) then,” Wade said. “But now, as you get older and you start to see more and learn more about it, it’s a huge significance that we’re playing in it, this organization, with Willie (Mays) and everything. I think it’s gonna be a great event.”

Whether or not Wade gets to be more than an observer will be determined in the time remaining before Thursday’s 4:15 p.m. PT first pitch against the Cardinals.

Melvin indicated the Giants are still holding out hope that MLB will reverse its decision, and there remains a long shot possibility that he could be activated from the IL regardless. Melvin said the Giants would prioritize adding him to the roster, even if he were only cleared to be the designated hitter.

“We feel like he’s pretty close,” Melvin said of Wade, who was the Giants’ leading hitter when he landed on the IL.

If Wade were activated for the single game and required to be placed back on the IL, he would not be eligible to be activated for another 10 days.

There are exceptions and restrictions already in place when it comes to the extra player the clubs get. He must be a position player — pitchers are not eligible — and for a player called up from the minor leagues, it would not exhaust one of the five times he can be optioned this season or count toward one of his three option years.

“There are some different rules for it,” Melvin said. “We asked about LaMonte, even though he’s on the IL. … Here in the next day, we’re going to have to figure out who that is. We know it won’t be a pitcher, unfortunately. And, at least at this point, it’s not LaMonte. Because he’s on the IL, we’d have to activate him and couldn’t put him back on, at least at this point.”