Giants get a boost as Fitzgerald returns from IL

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants have struggled to solve left-handed pitching this season, but they’re hoping they’ll be able to get an immediate boost from the return of one of their key right-handed bats.

Tyler Fitzgerald was activated off the 10-day injured list after missing 13 games with a left rib fracture, starting at second base and batting ninth against A’s lefty JP Sears in Friday night’s series opener at Oracle Park. Infielder Brett Wisely was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move.

Fitzgerald cracked his rib on a diving play against the Rangers on April 25 and tried to play through the injury before eventually landing on the IL on May 1. The 27-year-old infielder was shut down from baseball activities for a week before he started to ramp up again and said he hasn’t felt any discomfort in his side since Monday.

“I’m very blessed and very lucky to have this in the past and hopefully just move on from this and get going again,” Fitzgerald said. “It wasn’t too long. Could have been worse.”

Fitzgerald played in only three rehab games with Triple-A Sacramento, but he said he felt his timing come back pretty quickly as he ended up going 3-for-10 during his brief stint with the River Cats.

“He feels great,” manager Bob Melvin said. “He feels like it never happened. There’s always kind of the balance of, ‘How many at-bats does he need?’ His health was great. He was obviously doing well before and was one of the guys that has hit some left-handed pitching over the last couple of years. It’s nice to get him back.”

Fitzgerald was batting .284 with a .773 OPS, two home runs and five stolen bases over 25 games before getting hurt, so the Giants are hoping he’ll be able to pick up where he left off and help them improve their 2-10 record against left-handed starters this season.

"When I played through [the rib injury], I could barely swing,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t feel it right now. It’s 100% better. San Diego was tough to even play through it. But not feeling it since Monday is really encouraging. I didn’t feel it at Sac.”

Fitzgerald is the first of a few reinforcements that could arrive for the Giants in the coming weeks. Infielder Casey Schmitt (left oblique strain) and outfielder Jerar Encarnacion (left hand fracture) have also begun rehab assignments with Triple-A Sacramento, though Encarnacion hasn’t played since Sunday after experiencing some soreness in his left hand.

The Giants brought Encarnacion back to San Francisco to be reevaluated by team doctors on Friday, but Melvin said the club is optimistic the 27-year-old slugger will be able to rejoin Sacramento soon and be ready to come off the 60-day IL as soon as he’s eligible on May 26.

"He felt a little soreness swinging, which I’m not sure is completely out of the norm,” Melvin said. “But he tells me he’s fine. The doctors wanted to see him here. Hopefully he’s playing in the next day or so. We still have some time.”