As teammates, coaches, and front office staff looked on, Alex Wood threw 21 pitches against live hitting before Wednesday’s game against the Padres.
Wood, who’s been sidelined since Aug. 30 when he came down with COVID-19, said his arm and body feels good after this simulated outing. But he was stuck in bed for seven straight days with a fever, so building back his stamina and conditioning to where it was prior to his infection is key. He could return to the Giants as early as Saturday, manager Gabe Kapler said.
“I thought today was good,” Wood told reporters in the dugout. “I thought my stuff was pretty good.”
Wood said he still has some congestion — which he can treat with Sudafed or other basic over-the-counter medicine. Wood added his wife also tested positive for the virus. She dealt with chest pain but is out of quarantine and starting to feel better now.
When asked about his vaccination status, Wood declined to comment.
In his live pitching session, Wood faced Donovan Solano — who’s also been out with COVID-19 — and Alex Dickerson, who’s been out with a strained hamstring.
Alex Wood is throwing live. Bunch of his teammates, coaches and front office staff looking on pic.twitter.com/DGfE5onTwL
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) September 15, 2021
“Saw all three pitches,” Kapler said. “Had command of all three pitches. Life on the fastball. Executed some nice inside sliders there to Solano. Stayed in his delivery. Watched a little bit of his bullpen, too. Looked fine. So yeah, on track.”
Wood also threw a full bullpen on Monday. He said he was surprised at how well that went.
“I think he’s probably a little de-conditioned, but clearly he’s not that de-conditioned,” Kapler said. “That (bullpen) was a really positive outcome for us.”
As Wood pitched to Solano, starter Johnny Cueto walked out to left field to throw lightly. Wednesday was the first day he resumed throwing activities since hitting the injured list Sept. 1 with a right elbow strain.
Kapler doesn’t know whether Cueto will pitch again in 2021, but said “everything’s on the table.”
Wood has gone 10-4 in 23 starts this year. Cueto’s recorded a 4.09 ERA in 21 games.
Without Cueto and Wood, the Giants have resorted to several bullpen games. They’ve found reliever Dominic Leone has embraced a new role as the “opener,” and he’ll make his fourth start Wednesday. In his first three starts, Leone has pitched five scoreless innings, allowing one hit.
“It’s funny because glass half-full, obviously we don’t have to do that for months straight or whatever it may be, but there’s some real possibilities, real scenarios in the postseason where that could be a viable, viable option,” Wood said. “To have those guys kind of gotten used to it these last two and a half weeks throwing those bullpen games and how well they’ve done, I think it’s just another tool in the toolbox potentially for the postseason.”
- Kapler said Solano could return to the big league club shortly, while Dickerson might need a few more days because his hamstring is still a bit tight. Both played rehab games in Sacramento for the River Cats Monday and Tuesday.
- Shortstop Brandon Crawford was the club’s nominee for the 2021 Roberto Clemente Award. He and his wife Jalynne have been involved with a number of causes including ALS research, childhood cancer and local youth baseball with the Giants Community Fund.
