Belt on track to be back for Dodgers
Brandon Belt’s knee injury will keep him out at least a few more days, but if the first baseman continues to progress, the San Francisco Giants will have him back for the series against the Dodgers that begins Friday at Oracle Park.
Belt, who went on the injured list May 22 (retroactive to May 19), said Tuesday that he is likely to need more running this week before he is OK’d to play but does not believe he will need a rehab assignment. That makes this weekend much more of a possibility.
Manager Gabe Kapler alluded to Belt’s history of being able to jump right into action after coming off the IL and said, “That’s definitely under consideration. Once he feels like he’s good and we’ve taken him through enough activities where he feels like, ‘I can do anything I need to do on the baseball field,’ a few Triple-A at-bats may not be necessary for him.”
Belt said he has not had to have his right knee drained again and has been hitting throughout his time on the IL.
Outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr., also out with a knee injury, said that weekly injections of synthetic fluid have helped significantly and he hopes to go on a rehab assignment Thursday. “He really accelerated
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quickly and has already started running the bases at full speed,” Kapler said, agreeing that a rehab assignment could come this week.
Bullpen game looms: The Giants placed starter Alex Cobb on the IL with a neck strain Tuesday, which means that Thursday’s start is likely to go to Sam Long or another reliever. The team wants to align its rotation for the L.A. series, which points to Logan Webb on Friday, Jacob Junis on Saturday and Carlos Rodón on Sunday.
Cobb was scratched from his last start Thursday at Miami with lower back stiffness, so his IL stint was backdated to June 4. He might miss just the minimum 15 days for pitchers and return when the team is at Pittsburgh at the end of next week.
Kapler said the neck issue wasn’t caused by anything specific, adding, “I guess that’s not all that unusual when it comes to backs and necks — you just wake up stiff and you’re not able to get through it.
“I know he’s pretty frustrated. He’s had some of the best stuff he’s had in his career and just wants his body to cooperate with him so he can stay on the field and on the mound for us.”
Long, a left-hander, was recalled Tuesday. The Giants are 2-1 in his starts this season and 3-2 overall in bullpen games.
In addition, Darin Ruf came off the bereavement list and infielder Jason Vosler was optioned back to Triple-A Sacramento.
Maddon’s ouster: Third baseman Evan Longoria played for Joe Maddon with Tampa Bay, as did Kapler, and Longoria was philosophical about Maddon’s firing Tuesday in the wake of the Angels’ 12-game losing streak.
“It’s unfortunate,” Longoria said. “It’s probably just the nature of the business — somebody kind of has to fall on the sword.
“Joe is very easy to work for. I think the players respect him and like him as a manager. There’s probably not too many other things you could point to other than the fact that they’ve lost 12 games in a row. When you lose some, you’ve got to point at somebody — you know, it’s going to be the head guy.”