D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Giants don’t think their first concern of camp is a concern anymore.
Tony Watson had “a little bit of shoulder tightness,” Gabe Kapler said Saturday, that had the reliever and the team holding him back at the start of camp.
Watson, the most reliable and experienced bullpen option on the roster, managed to throw a 20-pitch bullpen session Friday, Kapler said, and came through OK.
The 34-year-old, who is the odds-on favorite for closer, is “totally fine. We’re taking a nice, slow pace with him,” Kapler said after the Giants’ 10-3 loss to the Angels at Scottsdale Stadium.
The Giants do not know when he’ll debut in the Cactus League.
The Giants do know when Hunter Pence will debut in the Cactus League.
Pence, whom the Giants have handled delicately, will get his first action Monday, when he will start in right field.
“A day earlier than we thought,” Kapler said of Pence, whom the Giants want to see against lefties and righties, but who crushes lefties. “A lot of that is Hunter is extremely ambitious and even a little bit persuasive.
“One of the things that I personally want to establish with Hunter is openness and honesty. He’s assured me that he’s ready to play, that his body is feeling prepped.”