SAN FRANCISCO–Mark Melancon has only pitched in 29 games for the Giants this season.
He may not pitch in many more, either.
San Francisco’s marquee free agent addition from the 2016 offseason has dealt with a pronator strain for the majority of his 2017 campaign that Melancon said recently has bothered him every day this season.
With just one month separating the Giants from the end of their season, Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy said the team is considering shutting its closer down early and allowing him to undergo a medical procedure that would clean up Melancon’s pronator.
“He could be (shut down), yeah,” Melancon said. “He could be. We’ve discussed that possibility. Just go ahead and get Mark taken care of.”
Though Melancon could wait until the end of the season, undergo a procedure, and still be healthy enough to pitch at the start of Spring Training, Bochy said the Giants plan to be cautious with the 32-year-old right-hander, which means the club may ask Melancon to stop pitching before the end of the year.
“Could be, and if it goes like we think, he’ll have plenty of time,” Bochy said. “It’s a six-to-eight week recovery before he’s throwing, so we’ll make sure we have plenty of time to have him ready.”
Melancon has been forced to the disabled list on two separate occasions this season, which marked the first two trips to the DL of his career. Though he admitted he’s dealt with pronator issues earlier in his career, Melancon said those issues have subsided over the course of each year. This season, though, it’s been a different story, and as a result, Melancon isn’t closing games for the Giants right now.
Interim closer Sam Dyson has pitched well in Melancon’s place, recording a 2.22 ERA in 27 games with the Giants since being acquired from the Texas Rangers in early June.
Position player updates
After playing in nearly every game for the Giants since they called him up from AAA Sacramento, Pablo Sandoval will sit on Monday evening against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Bochy said the Giants will keep Sandoval in the lineup regularly in September, which is one of the reasons San Francisco outrighted infielder Jae-gyun Hwang from the 40-man roster on Friday afternoon. Hwang will not finish the season with the Giants, as Orlando Calixte was the only AAA infielder to earn a September call-up.
Sandoval will be back in the Giants’ lineup on Saturday, and Bochy said right fielder Hunter Pence will get a day off after playing in Friday night’s game.
Bochy also provided an update on first baseman Brandon Belt, who has been out since August 7 with a concussion. There’s no timetable on Belt’s recovery, but Bochy did say he’s made some strides in his recovery process.
“Brandon is doing about the same, a little improvement,” Bochy said. “He’s doing some cardio, a little lifting. So that’s improvement. He’s still a little ways away.”