SAN FRANCISCO -- Steven Duggar's road back from injury will include a stint in the Minors, as the 25-year-old center fielder is on track to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday.

Duggar, who landed on the 10-day injured list with lower back stiffness last week, has resumed hitting and is scheduled to run the bases Friday. Manager Bruce Bochy said Duggar will need to play at least "a few" rehab games before he's ready to return.

"We'd like to give him a few, just to let him get his rhythm and timing," Bochy said Thursday.

The Giants likely won't feel the need to rush Duggar back, as they have other outfield options they are currently evaluating, including newcomer Alex Dickerson, who went 9-for-21 (.429) with six extra-base hits and 10 RBIs in his first six games with the club. The left-handed-hitting Dickerson did not start against D-backs lefty Alex Young on Thursday, marking his first day off since joining the Giants last week.

While Duggar has accrued an impressive 8 Defensive Runs Saved in the outfield for the Giants this season, his bat has not developed at the same rate as his defense. The 25-year-old is batting .234 with a .620 OPS and 66 OPS+ over 67 games this season, with a strikeout rate of 28.8 percent.

Bochy congratulates Pence

Former Giant and current Rangers slugger Hunter Pence continued his remarkable comeback story Thursday, earning his first All-Star selection since 2014. Pence, 36, was voted in to serve as the starting designated hitter for the American League squad after batting .294 with a career-high .962 OPS and 15 home runs for the Rangers, who signed the 36-year-old veteran to a Minor League deal in February.

Pence hit .226 for the Giants in 2018, the final season of his five-year, $90 million contract with the club. Determined to prove that he still had more left in the tank, Pence reworked his swing over the offseason and played winter ball in the Dominican Republic, efforts that ultimately helped spark his late-career resurgence.

"I couldn't be happier for Hunter," Bochy said. "What he did this winter, you're talking about a guy that was determined to find his swing. He's got enough money. He didn't need to do that, but we've talked about his passion for the game and how hungry he always stays. He wants to keep playing and for him to get it turned around and have the type of season he's having, it's well-deserved. I think that's what great athletes can do. They find a way to find their game again. At his age, to find that so-called fountain of youth again and play the way he did a few years ago, that's really impressive."