Injured Belt close to rehab assignment

Brandon Belt is expected to begin a minorleague rehab assignment any day, which is good news for the first baseman and good news for the state of the Giants.

Belt, shelved with right knee inflammation, ran the bases before Saturday night’s game, the last hurdle before a rehab assignment, and the Giants will check him out Sunday and determine the next step.

“I’m getting pretty close to playing games,” Belt said. “I feel really good, way better than I thought I was going to feel at this point.”

Belt last played for the Giants on June 23 when he hurt his knee running the bases — heading into the weekend, the Giants were 1310 since the injury. There were initial concerns he’d need surgery (he had a microfracture procedure on the knee in 2018), but doctors recommended rehab.

Belt, who hit 11 homers with a .253 average and .875 OPS in 55 games before being shelved, will wear a protective sleeve over the knee with supportive straps to keep the leg in alignment.

“I probably don’t have to,” he said, “but I probably want to. It gives me a little bit of support when I slide. As long as it doesn’t bother me when I’m hitting, I can manage anything else. Right now, it doesn’t bother me when I’m hitting.”

In Belt’s place, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Darin Ruf have played first base and have been competent. However, Wade’s fielding error in the seventh inning Friday night led to two unearned runs in the Giants’ 64 loss to Pittsburgh.

“You could probably put him out there anywhere, and he’d do just fine,” Belt said of Wade. “He’s looked great over

there. There are things you get better at once you’re over there long enough. Like anything, it’s how much time you get.”

Belt said he has talked with Wade, who had made just four bigleague starts at first base before joining the Giants this year (and none in the minors), about the finer points of the position, including the preference to step to the bag after fielding grounders rather than flipping to a teammate covering.

“If you can, take it yourself. If you can avoid handing it off to anyone else, it’s probably ideal,” Belt said. “He’s done a great job of doing the small things like that, which will really make a difference.”

Briefly:

Shortstop Brandon

Tuesday at Padres, 7:10 p.m. NBCSCA TBA vs. TBA

That has not been for lack of chances. But situational hitting has been spotty. The A’s carried a .258 batting average (eighth in AL) and .733 OPS (11th) into Saturday with men in scoring position, figures that fell to .214 and .650 with two outs. With the bases loaded, their .220 average was secondlowest and .562 OPS the league’s lowest.

“We haven’t been as good offensively, but our starters keep us in every game,” Melvin said. “It feels like no matter what our starter comes out of a game one run ahead, tied or one run behind. We’re just having a little trouble in the latter innings, which has not been the case here for quite some time.”

A’s starters owned the AL’s thirdlowest ERA (3.62) through Friday with a 2.78 mark in their past 24 games. Perhaps none has embodied their task more than Sean Manaea. The lefthander has received one or zero runs of support in eight of 20 starts but is 71 in 12 starts with at least two runs of support.

Crawford (oblique strain) began baseball activity and joined teammates for onfield pregame drills . ... Infielder Tommy La Stella continues his rehab assignment with TripleA Sacramento in what manager Gabe Kapler calls a “minispring training” designed to get enough reps to regain his timing . ... The Giants’ top prospect, shortstop Marco Luciano, was removed from Friday’s LowA San Jose game with shoulder discomfort and is day to day, according to team broadcaster Joe Ritzo.

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“Onerun games, close games, I still believe we’re going to win those,” Manaea said Saturday. “Onerun games you don’t really have much room for error. But if you love pitching, those are the kind of games that you live for, competing out there and just really helping the ballclub in any way you can.”

Briefly:

Diekman recorded the 90,000th pitching strikeout in A’s franchise history Friday, punching out Jarred Kelenic. … Catcher Sean Murphy, not in Saturday’s lineup, was “a little banged up” but scheduled for a day off Saturday or Sunday, Melvin said. … Melvin said if the A’s are active before the July 30 trade deadline “it might be toward the latter part right before the deadline, is my guess.”