Wade (hamstring) said Wednesday that he's pushing hard for a return from the 10-day injured list for the Giants' matchup with the Cardinals on June 20 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.
When he was placed on the IL on May 28 with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, Wade was projected to miss four weeks, but the veteran first baseman took batting practice Tuesday and fielded grounders and started some light running Wednesday as he aims to beat his estimated return timeline by one week. Wade acknowledged that if he's able to return for MLB's June 20 Negro Leagues tribute game, he would likely be relegated to designated-hitter duties. The Giants will presumably continue to monitor Wade's progress as he ramps up over the next week before determining if a June 20 return is feasible. The 30-year-old hadn't been a premium source of counting stats prior to being deactivated due to the injury, but he was hitting an impressive .333 while getting on base at a .470 clip through his first 52 games of the season.