PHOENIX -- Two hours after his original lineup was posted, Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced center fielder Denard Span had been scratched from Friday night's game against the D-backs with stiffness in the right side of his neck.
With so many players on the disabled list, it'd be easy for San Francisco fans to panic at the thought of losing another starting player. But this is one that shouldn't be an issue moving forward.
"We'll give him a day," Bochy said. "We were trying to get it to loosen up and I just made the decision instead of grinding on that thing so hard, give Gregor [Blanco] a game."
Bochy added Span should return to the lineup Saturday.
Span entered Friday batting .253 with 30 RBIs in 76 games this season, his first in San Francisco.
Span shouldn't be heading to the DL, where currently there are several key pieces of the Giants' roster. Only three players from San Francisco's Opening Day roster were in Friday's lineup, although Buster Posey was just taking a routine day off.
Worth noting
• Second baseman Joe Panik (concussion symptoms) is on the seven-day DL and did not travel with the team to Arizona. Bochy said Panik is in good spirits, but it is still too early to tell if he'll be ready to be activated at the end of the seven days.
"He's starting to do some physical activity, see how he reacts to that, normal stuff," Bochy said.
• Starter Matt Cain (right hamstring strain) was scheduled to pitch Friday night in a Rookie-level Arizona League game. He is set to make another rehab start for a Minor League affiliate before rejoining the Giants' rotation after the All-Star break.
• Reliever Sergio Romo (right elbow flexor strain) pitched an inning for Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday night. He is expected to pitch for them again Friday, but is nearing a return to the Majors.