DENVER -- Quashing speculation regarding Madison Bumgarner making an imminent return to the Giants, manager Bruce Bochy said Monday that the ace left-hander will start for Class A Advanced San Jose on Thursday. It's expected to be his final rehab outing before he returns to the big leagues, possibly June 5 vs. the D-backs.
San Jose was selected for logistical reasons. It's local, and the environment should be conducive to Bumgarner making an extended stint, an essential step prior to returning to the Majors. Triple-A Sacramento, where Bumgarner made his first Minor League injury rehabilitation appearance, will be playing at El Paso, Texas.
Bumgarner was so dominant in his Minor League injury rehabilitation outing last Saturday for Sacramento that the previously scheduled three-start regimen for him might not be necessary. He threw 31 strikes in 47 pitches and struck out eight of 12 Albuquerque batters he faced.
Moreover, he's Madison Bumgarner, who proved in the 2014 postseason that the usual limits don't apply to him. He could be ready to throw close to 100 pitches after his between-starts throwing session, which he performed Monday.
San Jose faces Visalia on Thursday.
Relishing the experience: Right-hander Dereck Rodriguez, whose contract was purchased by the Giants from Sacramento, was struck by an emotional lightning bolt when River Cats manager Dave Brundage told him Sunday night that was headed for the Majors.
Rodriguez was having a quiet evening, since he was scheduled to start Monday afternoon for the River Cats.
"I was watching Netflix," Rodriguez said. "I wasn't really thinking anything about baseball. Then I get this weird phone call from Oregon. My manager, I guess he's from Oregon. He told me this is the phone call I've been waiting for my whole life. I started tearing up. It was an emotional fun moment."

Rodriguez, whose father is Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, played mostly outfield until switching to pitching in 2014.
Asked if he saw this day coming as he made his transition, he replied, "Not as fast as it did. I thought it was going to take a little longer. But I always had a good arm. I was always able to throw the ball from the outfield with accuracy. So when I got to the mound, I never really walked a lot of guys. I think that's what helped me a lot more and got me through the levels quicker, not walking a lot of guys and stuff."
Rodriguez was 4-1 with a 3.40 ERA in nine starts for Sacramento, though Bochy said that the 25-year-old will be used in relief.
In corresponding moves, infielder Miguel Gomez was optioned to Sacramento and left-hander D.J. Snelten, the Giants' 25th-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline, was designated for assignment. When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster, and 25-man roster if he was on that as well. Within seven days of the transaction (it was previously 10 days), the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.