SCOTTSDALE - Buster Posey has seen fewer than 10 pitches in five at-bats this spring, but that has nothing to do with wanting to keep his bothersome left ankle off the hard dirt of the desert. Posey prefers to swing away in spring training and make sure he gets plenty of opportunities to lock his swing into place.
As for that ankle, Posey admitted that he had a cortisone shot recently to calm some of the discomfort, but an MRI came back clean. The ankle is the same one that was surgically repaired in 2011, and while it held up for years, Posey did deal with some discomfort last season.
"In 2012, after my injury, my ankle was cranky a lot," Posey said. "Sometimes you just play. Most of us are not playing at 100 percent."
The Giants describe Posey's injury with light terms, even when he misses several games in a row. This latest flareup has been described as a "tweak" by Posey and manager Bruce Bochy. Posey doesn't think it'll turn into anything more, and he expects to be in the lineup on Sunday and have a normal spring going forward.
Posey had not started since Feb. 25 but he didn't waste any time getting back into the mix. He doubled to the right field corner in his first at-bat and trotted home when Brandon Belt followed with a homer. In the fourth inning, Posey flared a single to center. He doubled in his final at-bat.
