SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants were hit hard by a rash of injuries in recent weeks, but they’re moving closer to getting a few notable pieces back, which will create some intriguing roster decisions for manager Tony Vitello and Co.
Left-hander Matt Gage (right knee inflammation) started a rehab assignment with Single-A San Jose on Saturday, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings on 23 pitches (16 strikes), and could rejoin the Giants’ bullpen in the coming days.
Right-hander Tyler Mahle (left hamstring strain) might not be too far behind, as he’s scheduled to make his first rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.
Their returns are likely to lead to some rejiggering on the Giants’ pitching staff. San Francisco already has three left-handed relievers in its bullpen -- Erik Miller, Sam Hentges and Reiver Sanmartin -- and Vitello said he doesn’t expect the club carrying four once Gage is ready to come off the IL.
“I don’t think we would,” Vitello said before the Giants’ 6-1 loss to the Cubs on Saturday night at Oracle Park. “We certainly could, obviously. I don’t think that would necessarily be in the cards.”
Sanmartin has Minor League options remaining, so he could be in danger of being the odd man out, especially after surrendering a pair of fifth-inning homers to Ian Happ and Pedro Ramírez in his second appearance since returning from a right hip injury on Wednesday.
The bigger question is what the Giants plan to do with Mahle, who went 1-7 with a 6.04 ERA in 11 starts before hitting the shelf last month.
Rookie Trevor McDonald has been filling in for Mahle in the rotation, but he gave up four runs on six hits -- including a leadoff home run to Pete Crow-Armstrong on his first pitch of the night -- over 3 2/3 innings in his second straight start against the Cubs on Saturday.
“It just wasn’t very good overall,” said McDonald, who walked three and struck out four in the 92-pitch outing. “As a starter, you’ve got to be able to go at least past the fourth, which I didn’t do tonight. It puts the bullpen in a bad situation. It puts the whole game in a bad situation. I’ve got to be better on my part.”
While Mahle has underperformed since joining the Giants on a one-year, $10 million deal, he has a decade of experience in the Majors and logged a 2.18 ERA over 16 starts for the Rangers last year. The 31-year-old veteran could turn himself into an interesting trade chip if he pitches well when he comes back, which could incentivize the Giants to slot him back into the rotation.
His impending return will certainly put some pressure on the 25-year-old McDonald, who now has a 4.64 ERA over eight starts this year.
“I think it started with him being out of sync a bit, yanking some pitches to the glove side,” Vitello said. “It kind of started at the top with Crow-Armstrong doing this thing.”
The Giants have also seen nice progress from outfielder Heliot Ramos (right quad strain), who has been ramping up his hitting and running progressions and could be on track to begin his own rehab assignment next week.
Casey Schmitt, a natural infielder, has looked comfortable playing left field in Ramos’ absence, so it’s possible the Giants will keep Schmitt at that position, especially now that hot-hitting rookie Bryce Eldridge has tightened his grip on the designated hitter spot. One option would be to shift Ramos to right field and move Jung Hoo Lee back to center field, where the Giants are currently platooning a pair of youngsters in Drew Gilbert and Jonah Cox.
The Giants (28-43) fell a season-high-matching 15 games under .500 after dropping two straight to the Cubs, so they know they have to continue to find ways to optimize their roster and try to get better results on the field.
“You’re always going to have some injuries and guys that are up and down,” Vitello said. “Ramos is a conversation that will come up down the road here soon, so that’s always going to be built into it. But when you’re not winning as many games as you’d like to, there’s still that search that’s going on and you’re looking for ways to improve.”