Longoria thinks he’ll be back in 4 weeks
Half the Giants’ projected infield opened the season on the injured list. Though Evan Longoria’s return to the Giants’ lineup might be a little quicker than initially expected, Tommy La Stella remains in a holding pattern.
Longoria said before Friday’s season opener that he is hopeful he will miss only four weeks after surgery to reattach the ligament to the index finger on his right hand; the Giants had pegged his return at closer to six weeks, but Longoria was scheduled to get his stitches out later in the day and he is already able to work on his grip.
“I feel pretty confident that it’s moving in the right direction now,” he said. “Hopefully, it will be pretty close to if not beat that timetable.”
Two anchors were placed in the bone to hold the ligament, which Longoria said he believes was injured during offseason workouts. The problem affected primarily his throwing, he said, and had it been deeper into the regular season, he would have played through it. But with the ability to have surgery before the season started, the wiser course of action was to take care of it now. He is able to do one-handed fielding drills and to swing one-handed as he heals.
A four-week timetable could put Longoria’s return closer to the end of April rather than mid-May.
“Obviously, I’m not happy I don’t get to put the uniform on and run out there on Opening Day,” Longoria said. “But we’re in a good spot, we’re as deep as we were last year.”
The depth will get tested with La Stella out indefinitely as he rehabs following an Achilles tendon cleanup. La Stella said Friday the plan is to go day-to-day, because he still has discomfort.
“There’s always a scar-tissue element to this,” he said. “There’s really nothing to do other than just kind of breaking through it, and that can take time.”
La Stella is working on his running (particularly pushing off ) and his side-to-side movement, along with receiving extensive treatment.
Wilmer Flores will get the bulk of starts at third with Longoria out, and Thairo Estrada will be the primary second baseman.