SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Pablo Sandoval thought his tenure with the Giants ended in September, when he came off the bench to take one final at-bat under former manager Bruce Bochy. After undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery, Sandoval found himself facing an uncertain future, with no guarantee of returning to San Francisco.

But Sandoval had no desire to leave, prompting him to re-sign with the Giants on a Minor League deal last month. Less than six months removed from reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, the 33-year-old veteran was back in the orange and black, starting at designated hitter and going 1-for-2 in the Giants’ 9-6 win over the Rockies on Friday night at Scottsdale Stadium.

“I thought that last year was going to be my last at-bat,” Sandoval said. “To be back here, it’s exciting for me.”

Sandoval delivered an RBI single to center field in his first at-bat against Antonio Senzatela in the first inning before striking out against Jeff Hoffman in the third. He was replaced by outfield prospect Jairo Pomares in the fifth.

By all accounts, Sandoval’s recovery from Tommy John surgery has progressed quicker than expected. Position players typically require around nine months of rehab before returning to game action, but Sandoval has enjoyed an accelerated timeline, thus far. The switch-hitter has been swinging the bat from both sides and regularly taking batting practice, though he remains in the early stages of his throwing program.

“He's really earned the opportunity to be ahead of schedule,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “He worked his tail off in the offseason. He came to camp really ready to swing the bat.”

The expansion of rosters to 26 players will allow the Giants to carry an extra position player this season, but Kapler said he can’t envision a scenario in which Sandoval makes the Opening Day roster solely as a pinch-hitter. Sandoval is still expected to open the season on the injured list to give him more time to ramp up defensively, though the Giants believe he could be ready to return to the Majors by May.

“We need every player on our roster to be able to play the field,” Kapler said. “That's for any number of reasons. We're really optimizing for Pablo’s health. We'll see where we are in the middle of March, but I don't think it's feasible to carry a player that can't play defense on our Opening Day roster.”