While the Giants are struggling through the season with a 24-35 record, they are still waiting on the return of ace pitcher Madison Bumgarner. A shoulder injury from a dirt-biking accident has sidelined Bumgarner since mid-April, and his absence has certainly hurt the Giants both on the field and in the clubhouse.
However, Bumgarner has reportedly been making positive strides in his recovery and Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper told Murph & Mac Tuesday that he thinks Bumgarner will be back on the mound pretty soon.
“He’s going to come back earlier than people think,” Kuiper said. “I know that they want him to have x amount of innings and appearances before he comes back. He’s doing a lot of work. He told us earlier when this [injury] happened, that he was definitely a quick healer and that he might bounce back from this and be ok. So far he hasn’t been wrong.”
Kuiper also told Murph & Mac that having Bumgarner back could have a big impact on the team off of the field.
“The only problem with guys who go on the DL is…when you’re hurt and you’re not on the field as a player you really do lose a voice in the clubhouse,” Kuiper said. “You don’t feel like you’ve earned the right to say to somebody, ‘Hey how about a little bit more effort on that ground ball,” whatever it might be. The guy that you’re yelling at might just turn around and say, ‘Yo dude, how about you get your butt on the field.’ So you kind of lose you’re voice when you’re not participating. When Bum gets back he’ll feel more comfortable having things to say. Not that he’s sitting around really quiet, he’s not. But you just automatically feel like you need to be able to contribute before you can be very vocal and it’s going to be great to have him back.”
Listen to the full interview below. To listen to Kuiper’s comments on Bumgarner skip to the 4:16 mark.
