SAN FRANCISCO — Alex Cobb attracted a bit of a crowd as he walked to the Giants’ bullpen on Tuesday afternoon at Oracle Park. Indeed, there was no shortage of players and personnel who wanted to see Cobb, once again, throw off a mound.
“I had to find the bullpen first,” Giants manager Bob Melvin joked. “I point out there from time to time, but I actually had to find it this time.”
Cobb took an important step towards returning to game action, throwing a 20-to-25 pitch bullpen prior to Tuesday’s game against the Astros. Cobb said he felt great, according to Melvin, mixing in breaking balls and exhibiting good velocity. Cobb, an All-Star in 2023, is scheduled to throw another bullpen on Friday.
The 36-year-old initially made great progress in his recovery from hip surgery, but has been slowed by a flexor strain in his elbow, followed by tightness in his shoulder.
“I think we’re past the hurdle of, ‘Is the shoulder going to feel good when he lets it go?’ It did today,” Melvin said.
In even more encouraging news for the Giants, third baseman Matt Chapman returned to the starting lineup after missing the last two games due to a sore hamstring. Chapman felt like he could have played Monday, per Melvin, but San Francisco wanted to give him one more day to recover.
“In this day and age, you want to be careful with guys,” Melvin said of Chapman, who leads the team in games played (64). “You look at his track record, he’s always been really durable. Played through some finger stuff last year. It’s just kind of who he is. I think everybody knows that around here. He’s pretty tenacious in how he plays the game and always wants to be out there for his team.”
Chapman’s return is a relief for the Giants, who have a litany of players currently on the injured list. Even with right-hander Keaton Winn and outfielders Austin Slater and Michael Conforto recently returning, the amount of players on the shelf remains extensive, a list that includes Cobb; shortstops Nick Ahmed and Marco Luciano; left-handers Blake Snell and Robbie Ray; and catcher Tom Murphy.
Starters making progress
As Cobb warmed up for his bullpen, Snell played catch off flat ground. Snell, dealing with a left groin strain, is scheduled to throw off the mound on Wednesday.
Blake Snell throwing off flat ground. Alex Cobb set to throw a bullpen. LaMonte Wade Jr. watches on. pic.twitter.com/i0rx3aegmz
— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) June 11, 2024
Ray, recovering from Tommy John and flexor tendon surgeries, will need two more outings before moving on from the Giants’ rookie-level affiliate. Ray has made two appearances with the Arizona Complex League Giants so far, striking out eight batters over three innings.
Two prospects earn Triple-A promotions
Right-hander Hayden Birdsong and outfielder Grant McCray, the Giants’ No. 6 and No. 13 prospects, respectively, per MLB Pipeline, have been promoted to Triple-A Sacramento.
“I’ve heard he’s been having a good season, talked to some of the scouts,” Melvin said. “That’s not a surprise based on what we saw in spring training. Great stuff. It’s about the strike throwing for him. Obviously, he’s doing that right now, so not a surprise.”
Birdsong, 22, was a sixth-round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft and had a 2.05 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 11 starts with Double-A Richmond.
McCray, 23, was selected in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. In 50 games with Richmond, McCray had a .210 batting average and .732 OPS with six home runs and six steals.