SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is being as patient as he can be with left foot and rib-cage issues that scratched him from his last spring start, but he's hopeful he's on track to get back on the mound for his next scheduled start Saturday.
Bumgarner threw on the side Wednesday and was slated for a light bullpen session Thursday. Being cautiously optimistic, he's looking forward to Saturday's start.
"As far as I know, we're still on track for that, ideally," Bumgarner said. "You never know, but right now it feels good."
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Manager Bruce Bochy indicated the day before that Bumgarner probably won't need to skip another start. That would be music to the 26-year-old left-hander's ears, even if he's trying to be patient with the process.
"We still do have time," Bumgarner said. "Like I've said before, you don't want to take something that's not that big a deal and make it into one. It's tough, because it's not fun to go and get treatment and get worked on. It's fun to go out and do your job."