End of the road for Rollins?
Veteran infielder returns home instead coming back to Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — A locker stall was made up for Jimmy Rollins in the AT&T Park clubhouse on Thursday, but it appears he’ll never be occupying it after the veteran infielder did not return to the Bay Area with the Giants when spring training camp broke in Arizona.
Rollins, 38, was hoping to be a reserve infielder with the team he grew up rooting against in Alameda, but it wasn’t to be. He hit just .125 during spring training (5 for 40) with one home run.
Even though it essentially has been a foregone conclusion that he would not make the club, it was thought Rollins might return with the Giants to play in the Bay Bridge Series in front of family and friends. Rollins was born in Oakland but was raised in Alameda and graduated from Encinal High, which also produced Hall of Famer Willie Stargell.
Giants outfielder Denard Span said he texted with Rollins earlier in the day and that his spring training locker neighbor had returned to his residence in Tampa, Fla. Neither general manager Bobby Evans nor manager Bruce Bochy were prepared to give a declarative answer on Rollins’ next move.
“We gave him a status report on his chances of making the roster and it didn’t look like that was going to happen,” said Evans. “With respect (to Rollins), we want to wait and have some follow-up discussions with him, find out his wishes.”
Evans said he it was highly unlikely Rollins would accept a minor league as- signment.
Span said he wasn’t sure what Rollins’ next move would be.
“I would assume he wants to keep playing,” Span said. “If not, he’s had a great career.”
Rollins is a 17-year major league veteran, 15 of those seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he won the 2007 National League Most Valuable Player award. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015 and logged 41 games with the Chicago White Sox in 2016 before being released in June.
Rollins has a .264 career average with 2,455 hits, 231 home runs and 1,421 runs scored. He is a three-time All-Star and a four-time N.L. Gold Glove winner at shortstop.
Johnny Cueto pitched five scoreless innings in his final spring tune-up, allowing six hits but no walks against Oakland and striking out two as the Giants beat Oakland 3-0 in the Bay Bridge opener.
Cueto’s had a scary moment came while he was batting in the third inning. Swinging at an inside pitch from the A’s Sean Manaea, the pitcher suffered a painful stinger in his right hand. He stepped out of the batter’s box and was bent over for several seconds as trainer Dave Groeschner and Bochy rushed out to see if he was seriously hurt.
Cueto re-gathered himself, got back in the box, dropped a bunt and was thrown out at first.
“I didn’t want to bat so I put a bunt down just to get it over with,” Cueto said through interpreter Erwin Higueros. Cueto was also nursing a blister on his middle finger but didn’t expect it to be a problem.
Relief pitcher Will Smith underwent successful Tommy John surgery on Tuesday to repair the UCL ligament in his left elbow, the Giants announced.
Dr. Neal Elattrache performed the surgery at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles, and Smith is now recuperating at his temporary residence in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Smith, 27, was shut down with elbow inflammation early in spring training, but after it dissipated, he appeared in two games before incurring more pain. A subsequent MRI revealed that Smith would require surgery and that he would miss the entire 2017 season.
Bochy indicated he would name his fifth starter on Friday after he talks to the two candidates, veteran Matt Cain and rookie Ty Blach.
It would be an upset if it was someone other than Cain, who showed some improvement near the end of spring. Moreover, Blach may be needed as a lefthanded arm in the bullpen due to the injury to Smith and the spring ineffectiveness of Josh Osich.
Blach pitched a perfect seventh inning against the A’s, which seemed to portend the way it will go. Cory Gearrin, George Kontos and Mark Melancon also pitches scoreless frames following up Cueto.
Spring sensation Chris n Marrero further enhanced his chances of making the Opening Day roster with a double — the Giants’ first hit of the night in the fifth inning — and a shoestring catch in left field.
Bochy wasn’t ready to commit but liked the way Marrero handled himself in his first AT&T Park outing. The manager said whichever right-handed bat makes the roster— and right now Marrero looks like the heavy favorite — he will platoon with Jarrett Parker.
Earlier in the spring, Bochy said he didn’t want to platoon Parker and prospect Mac Williamson, but is more willing to do so with a veteran player.
Eduardo Nunez was n back at third base in the Bay Bridge opener after a recurrence of shoulder tightness that troubled him early in spring. Bochy said Nunez would play third again on Friday and four or five innings at shortstop on Saturday in Oakland to “clear the cobwebs” at that position.
The Giants scored all n three of their runs against the A’s in the seventh inning. Crawford and Conor Gillaspie had RBI singles against A’s reliever Liam Hendriks and Joe Panik delivered a sacrifice fly against Oakland’s Frankie Montas.