The Giants are 6-4 in their last 10 and right in the thick of things for the National League Wild Card race. Yet, they remain 7.5 games behind the stupefyingly hot Dodgers in the NL West.
It'll help the Giants when Pablo Sandoval returns to the lineup, and it appears that time is coming pretty soon.
On Sunday, Sandoval tweeted that he was finishing up his final day of rehab and was headed to San Francisco soon.
"Last day of Rehab here in AZ . Thanks to all the SF Giants staff here - SF here I come #PANDAMODE ON," Sandoval tweeted.
According to CSNBayArea.com's Giants Insider Andrew Baggarly, Sandoval is making "steady progress" and "should be ready to start taking batting practice next week."
Sandoval's return won't just provide an increased level of offense for the Giants, it'll have a ripple effect as well -- Bruce Bochy will be able to move Joaquin Arias (who's been hot as of late) to second base, and start Sandoval at third.
Additionally, Emmanuel Burris and Ryan Theriot will be in the mix for starts.
“Whoever’s swinging the bat better will be out there,” Bochy said. “I’ll say that.”
That's more than likely going to be Arias at his current pace, but Theriot will also get plenty of looks.
The key, though, is getting Sandoval back. It eliminates a serious weakness in the infield and in the lineup, and it means that Bochy can focus on utilizing the hottest bat at the biggest position of need, second base.
