SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Feeling ill, right-hander Johnny Cueto began a five-day stretch of diminished activity Wednesday, which prevented him from participating in the Giants' initial workout for pitchers and catchers.
"He's pretty washed out from having this bug. I don't know if it was the flu or what," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He just has to get some strength back. We have time. We don't look at it as a setback, so to speak."
Cueto tried throwing about 15 pitches on flat ground on Tuesday, but felt unable to do much more.
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"He was pretty cooked, so we decided to push him back a little bit," Bochy said. "The last thing we want to do is put anybody in a rush mode."
Bochy observed that if the Giants somehow experience a pitching shortage, they can draw reinforcements from the mini-camp that's being conducted at the Minor League facility. Right-hander Chris Heston, who finished 12-11 and threw a no-hitter against the New York Mets in 2015, is among the pitchers attending that camp.
This marks the second spring in a row during which Cueto, who turns 32 on Thursday, has been interrupted in preparing for the regular season.
Last year, San Francisco's No. 2 starter received permission to skip workouts to help his ailing father leave the Dominican Republic to receive decent health care. Cueto then developed blisters on his throwing hand shortly after he resumed pitching.
• Tyler Beede, Ty Blach, Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija were among the pitchers who threw off bullpen mounds during the first workout. Among those scheduled to throw their first bullpen sessions Thursday include Mark Melancon, Hunter Strickland and Sam Dyson.