SAN FRANCISCO – Tyler Fitzgerald is slated to begin his rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento later Wednesday, but it remains unclear when the injured second baseman will be able to return to the Giants.
Fitzgerald was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 1, with a left rib fracture, and the Giants’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park marked the 13th game he’s had to miss.
Manager Bob Melvin said the Giants have different schedules for Fitzgerald’s return, “depending on how he’s doing, what we feel like he needs, how he’s responding each and every day.
“It would be nice to get him back sooner than later, with all the lefties that we have coming up, but we’re not sure yet.”
Including Wednesday, Christian Koss has played 12 of 13 games since Fitzgerald’s last game on April 30.
Going into Wednesday, Koss was hitting .258 (8-for-31) with eight strikeouts and two walks, but he hit his first career home run, a grand slam, in the second inning in the Giants’ 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks that snapped a four-game losing streak. Koss also adds an extra dimension with his baserunning ability, and has played flawless defense this month.
Aside from the Giants’ May 5 game in Chicago against the Cubs, when he played third base, Koss has played almost exclusively at second base since Fitzgerald’s injury. He’s played three games at third base and one at shortstop, with the versatility being one of the reasons why he made the Giants’ roster out of training camp.
Melvin felt Fitzgerald was playing well before his injury and will play second base when first returns, but “I don’t know if he’s going to be there every single day. We’ll sprinkle Koss in there as well.”
ROTATION ANNOUNCED: The Giants announced their rotation for their three-game series against the A’s this weekend at Oracle Park, with Logan Webb going Friday, Landen Roupp pitching Saturday, and Justin Verlander, still looking for his first victory in a San Francisco uniform, pitching Sunday. As of midday Wednesday, the A’s had not announced their three starters.
A Giants spokesperson said the team expects sellouts or near-sellouts for all three games. A fireworks display will follow Friday’s game.