SAN FRANCISCO -- The Panda is on his way back and could be activated within a week's time. But he probably won't be in switch-hitting mode right away.
Pablo Sandoval could start a minor league rehab assignment this weekend for Single-A San Jose and he's expected to need four or five games before he'd join the active roster, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
Bochy acknowledged what GM Brian Sabean told CSN Bay Area last week: That Sandoval could hit left-handed only for a time until his hand allows him to bat right-handed. Currently, Sandoval is taking batting practice from the left side and lightly hitting off a tee from the right side.
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The switch-hitter had surgery May 4 to remove a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. The injury occurred almost a year to the date he sustained the same fracture in his right hand. Now that both bones have been removed, there's no chance the injury can recur. But because his left hand rests on the knob of the bat when he hits right-handed, it'll take longer for him to swing effectively from that side.
"We might bring him up earlier and protect him," said Bochy, mentioning he could pinch-hit for Sandoval when he faces a left-handed reliever or possibly bat him lefty-on-lefty.
That's something Sandoval did three times late last season, when a sore shoulder prevented him from hitting right-handed. He was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts.
"We wouldn't do anything without the doctors signing off," Bochy said.
San Francisco Giants
Sandoval was the team's leading home run hitter and RBI man when he went down. Joaquin Arias, who has held down everyday duties at third base in Sandoval's absence, will be a candidate to get plenty of playing time at second base when the Panda returns.