LOS ANGELES -- Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija could be recovered enough from his strained right pectoral muscle to allow him to pitch next weekend in a Minor League game.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy made this announcement Saturday, shortly after Samardzija threw 20 pitches off a bullpen mound.
Bochy called it "a stretch" to suggest Samardzija could be physically ready in time to re-enter San Francisco's starting rotation by April 10, the date when the Giants need a fifth starter for the first time.
Samardzija hasn't pitched since March 21, when he lasted 3 1/3 innings in a Minor League game against the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate. He yielded three runs and seven hits, including two home runs.
As the only pitcher in the Majors besides Washington's Max Scherzer to pitch 200 innings or more for five consecutive years, Samardzija is a key figure in the Giants' pitching plans.
Bochy reaches Chavez century mark
With the Giants' 1-0 victory Friday night, Bochy became the first visiting manager to steer his teams to 100 wins at Dodger Stadium.
Bochy is 49-54 at Dodger Stadium with the Giants and was 51-43 with the Padres, with whom he began his Major League managerial career in 1996.
"That was news to me," Bochy said. "I don't know what it means, except I've been able to do this a long time."