Posey cautious with sore left ankle
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Buster Posey and the Giants are making an investment in 2018, which is one reason the All-Star catcher isn’t being pushed into Cactus League action.
Posey, shelved with a “tweaked” left ankle — the word both he and manager Bruce Bochy use — won’t appear in a game until Wednesday at the earliest.
“We’re kind of circling that day. It’s not 100 percent,” Posey said Friday at Scottsdale Stadium. “Just trying to get it to calm down.”
The catcher has been bothered when hitting (his front foot is affected) so he hasn’t swung a bat lately. A club source said a cortisone shot has been considered, but that might be on hold. Posey showed improvement Friday.
It’s the same ankle that was surgically repaired in 2011 after a home-plate collision with the Marlins’ Scott Cousins.
“You’re going to have little stuff like this throughout the year,” Posey said. “So hopefully, it’s one of those things happening now that I don’t have to fool with later in the year.”
Posey had the ankle issue before trying to play; he appeared in one game.
Friday, Trevor Brown caught Madison Bumgarner, the Opening Day starter who almost always throws to Posey.
Posey likes to catch as many pitchers as possible in spring training, though it’s not necessarily mandatory because the game speed of exhibitions doesn’t always translate to the regular season.
“Right now,” Posey said, “the most important thing is, four weeks out from the opener, making sure to feel good to start the season.”
The goal always is to maintain strong legs through the season, and it’s manager Bruce Bochy’s job to monitor Posey’s workload behind the plate. His home run totals have dropped each of the past three years, and he hit just three after the All-Star break in 2016, two after the break in 2017.
Posey’s not the only key player missing time in spring training. Left fielder Hunter Pence has been out with the flu and expects to return to the lineup Saturday. Brandon Crawford (finger sprain) could play shortstop for the first time Saturday. Center fielder Austin Jackson made his defensive debut Thursday. Third baseman Evan Longoria won’t play before Wednesday.
It all plays into Bochy’s method of slow-playing veterans.
“It’s nice the way Boch has done it, not having guys feel they have to play every other day right out of the gate,” Posey said.
Exhibitions began after just four full-squad workouts. In the past, position players generally got additional time to prepare.
“You’ve almost got to be in baseball shape when you get here,” Posey said. “If you haven’t been throwing or hitting, the way it goes now, you’re behind the eight ball a little bit.” Bumgarner in a groove: While many hitters still are easing into Cactus League games, Bumgarner is at full force.
Friday, in his second start — the Giants’ 3-2 loss to the Reds — Bumgarner retired all nine of his batters, four on strikeouts. He was so determined to reach his pitch limit of 50 that after throwing 42 pitches in three innings, he marched to the bullpen and threw another eight.
“It’s nice to go and get outs, but my main concern is health and arm strength,” Bumgarner said.
In the wake of his most disappointing season — well, his only disappointing season — Bumgarner could be primed for a major rebound.
Thanks to his mid-April dirt bike accident, he was limited to 17 starts and 111 innings after averaging 32 starts and 213 innings the previous six seasons.
Not to mention throwing another 1021⁄3 innings over four postseasons.
The 28-year-old was asked if the reduced mound time in 2017 has been helpful considering all the innings he has logged over the years.
“It makes for a good story, I guess,” Bumgarner said, “but honestly, knock on wood, I’ve felt pretty much the same since Day 1, whether I was 20 years old or now. I feel fresh, and I always have. Hopefully that’s going to be one of those things that stays there for me. I work to keep it that way. I come in and take care of my stuff every day and take care of my body.”