Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
As two veterans jump back in, one has to hop out.
The Giants welcomed Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt back to their starting lineup for Friday’s matchup with the Marlins, but Evan Longoria was missing after being lifted early a night earlier with hamstring tightness.
Gabe Kapler was not sure if his third baseman would be available later in the game — Longoria was going through treatment — and Wilmer Flores was getting the start against Miami righty Sandy Alcantara.
Belt (quad) had been pulled early Tuesday, pinch-hit Wednesday and now is fully back Friday, while Crawford (rib cage tightness) was removed early Wednesday and then played in the late innings Thursday.
“It was that play up the middle on [Andrew] McCutchen in the eighth inning, where I kind of threw across my body and just felt something tighten up in my rib cage area,” Crawford said before the Giants and Marlins faced off at Oracle Park. “I don’t know if it was just a cramp that wasn’t going away or a minor, minor strain. But it went away.”
That is great news for both the shortstop and the Giants, who had to play Mauricio Dubon at short Thursday and do not have another player on the roster capable of filling in. They traded for Thairo Estrada, who’s now in Sacramento, as the depth option at the critical position.
The Giants still are without Donovan Solano and might be for a while, but Kapler has been happy about the early looks from an infield defense that has looked far better than it did last year and in spring training.
Without Solano, Tommy La Stella was batting leadoff and playing second Friday. In his very brief time at third, Flores has looked more comfortable than he did last year.
“It’s just nice to know that if you’re going to lose a player even for a day or two of the caliber of Brandon Belt or Evan Longoria or Brandon Crawford, that you’re slotting in a player with a ton of talent like Wilmer Flores or Tommy La Stella,” Kapler said. “So certainly it speaks to the depth that this roster has.”
Kapler said it’s a moderate calf strain for Solano. He did not have a timetable, but calf strains can be tricky to deal with. Some can return in weeks, while Francisco Lindor missed about two months with a moderate strain in 2019.
Reyes Moronta (right flexor strain) threw a bullpen session Thursday, and he should throw another Saturday. “No setbacks,” Kapler said. He should not need much more time.
Kapler expects Aaron Sanchez to make his next start on time, which would be Tuesday against the Rockies. The righty has been effective but with diminished velocity, which prompted an early hook Thursday.
He threw just 67 pitches, and Kapler said he bounced back nicely Friday. Perhaps the velocity will be juiced up through his workload going down.
“He’s got a really good understanding of how his body recovers well,” Kapler said.
The full lineup against Alcantara and behind Alex Wood:
1. Tommy La Stella, 2B
2. Mike Yastrzemski, RF
3. Wilmer Flores, 3B
4. Brandon Belt, 1B
5. Alex Dickerson, LF
6. Buster Posey, C
7. Brandon Crawford, SS
8. Austin Slater, CF
9. Alex Wood, P
The Giants added catcher Andres Angulo, a 23-year-old from Colombia, and outfielder Bryce Johnson, a sixth-round pick in 2017, to their alternate site.