LOS ANGELES–Season ticket holders of the San Jose Giants and Sacramento River Cats have already gotten their money’s worth this season. Now, they may receive a late-season bonus.
On Friday afternoon, Giants’ right-hander Johnny Cueto spoke in the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium and discussed what he believes is the best course of action for him to make a return to San Francisco’s rotation.
Cueto has been on the disabled list since July 15 with blister issues, and on Friday, he announced that he hopes to make a rehab start with a Giants’ Minor League affiliate before returning to the team’s rotation.
“Well it’s something that we have to talk about, I’m thinking that I’ll ask to go down and just throw one,” Cueto said.
San Jose, the Giants’ A-affiliate, and Sacramento, the Giants’ AAA affiliate, have already played host to Madison Bumgarner and Pablo Sandoval, and now, it appears as though one of the clubs could have the opportunity to have Cueto start on their behalf.
On Friday, Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy said that both Cueto and the Giants are leaning toward sending Cueto down, and if his afternoon bullpen went well, it’s likely Cueto would make his rehab start on Monday or Tuesday.
“He’s going to take a bullpen today and that’s the way we’re leaning, he’s leaning, it’s to go down and make a start,” Bochy said.
Both Sacramento and San Jose have home series next week, so Bochy didn’t commit to a particular location for the team’s top right-handed pitcher, but he did indicate that he agreed with Cueto’s assertion that making a rehab start would ensure a more successful return.
After leaving his July 14 start after just four innings with complications due to blisters, Cueto said he didn’t throw a baseball for seven days. He dealt with blister issues earlier in the season, but they weren’t serious enough for him to shut down. This time around, though, Cueto went more than 10 days without throwing a bullpen, and he wants to make sure he’s completely healthy before he wears the orange and black again.
“Basically I went seven days without picking up a baseball, now it’s been more than 10 days since I actually pitched,” Cueto said. “So I can’t just all of a sudden pick up a baseball and step on a big league mound. No, that’s not me. I can’t hurt myself, I can’t look bad, I can’t make the team look bad, so I think that it’s important that I make sure that I’m ready.”
Cueto said Friday that even though blisters have become problematic for him this season, he’s unwilling to change the way he grips the baseball. A growing number of Major League pitchers have struggled with blisters this season, and there’s speculation that changes to the baseball have caused pitchers more problems.
Cueto said he’s had particular trouble throwing his slider, but is hopeful that this extended absence will help resolve any lingering issues.
“I can’t change something that I’ve been doing for 10 years just because I’m having blisters,” Cueto said. “I can’t all of a sudden change how I grab the ball.”