Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The righty-heavy lineup the Giants are using for Monday’s exhibition at the Coliseum might not be too different from the 1-through-9 that Clayton Kershaw faces Thursday.
No Buster Posey, of course. And now no Brandon Belt or Evan Longoria.
The veteran first and third baseman, respectively, will not be ready for Opening Day, Gabe Kapler said before the first of two exhibitions with the A’s. He did not rule either out for the entire four-game series in Los Angeles, but the duo will miss the fanless pomp of Game One.
“We’re hustling to get those guys ready as quickly as possible,” Kapler said on a Zoom call. “But without the full-intensity running reps that Brandon and Evan need, they’re just not quite going to be ready.”
Belt has a sore right heel that required a walking boot he recently progressed out of, serving as the DH on Saturday but not running the bases. Longoria suffered a moderate right oblique strain last week that still is sore when Longoria bends over. He has taken ground balls, and the Giants will be careful with one of the few everyday options on the team.
Even if Belt were 100 percent, it would be a question of whether he would start over Darin Ruf or Wilmer Flores, two righty options. In handicapping the Giants’ backup third basemen, Kapler listed Pablo Sandoval first. With the NL using the DH, Ruf, Flores and Sandoval should be in the lineup at Dodger Stadium.