SAN FRANCISCO–If Brandon Belt, Johnny Cueto and Mark Melancon remain with the San Francisco Giants for the duration of their current contracts, the franchise will owe the three players a combined $200 million from now through the end of the 2021 season..
With Melancon signed through 2020, and Belt and Cueto both technically under contract through 2021, all three players are assets the Giants’ franchise hopes play critical roles in a future resurgence.
But on Tuesday afternoon, Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy was forced to address the injuries each player is dealing with, as all three players are sidelined with potentially serious issues that –at least temporarily– are cause for concern.
Belt, Melancon and Cueto are all on the disabled list, and each member of the trio is at a different stage of their rehab process.
Belt, the Giants’ 29-year-old first baseman, was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list on Saturday morning after taking a curveball to the helmet during Friday evening’s ballgame against the Diamondbacks. Though the pitch came in under 80 miles per hour, it pelted Belt squarely in the helmet, and he dropped to the ground immediately.
Concussions are serious injuries for any athlete, but particularly for a player like Belt who has a history of dealing with head injuries. On Tuesday, Bochy said that while the franchise has yet to make a final decision, it’s unlikely Belt will accompany the Giants on their east coast road trip which will begin following Wednesday’s matinee contest against the Chicago Cubs.
“I don’t know that yet,” Bochy said. “I don’t think he (Belt) is (traveling.) In fact i’m pretty sure he’s not unless he comes in today feeling great or whatever. But I just don’t think he is.”
Though the Giants miss Belt’s presence in the lineup and at first base, with a 44-70 record, San Francisco can afford to be cautious and ensure that he’s completely healthy before returning to the field. Regardless, though, Bochy said on Saturday that because it’s a head injury, the Giants would play it safe with Belt even if they were in the heat of a pennant race.
As for Melancon, the Giants are dealing with a similar situation in which they have not created a timetable for his return to the Major League roster.
The Giants’ closer is in the midst of his second disabled list stint this season, and Melancon admitted he probably rushed back from his first trip to the disabled list. When he began experiencing elbow pain again, though, Melancon and the Giants acknowledged the importance of slow-playing his return, because they want to ensure he’s free of pain heading into 2018.
Melancon will throw an inning for the San Jose Giants in Stockton on Tuesday evening, and Bochy said that even though it’s Melancon’s fourth rehab appearance, San Francisco won’t rush to decide the next step for its closer.
“It’s hard to say because he (Melancon) gets evaluated after every outing,” Bochy said. “Tomorrow he’ll come in and he’ll get checked out by Dave Groeschner and the docs and of course, he’s going to tell us how he feels. And that will determine whether he goes back, if he goes on the road, it’s hard to say.”
Cueto was the third injured Giants’ player Bochy addressed on Tuesday afternoon, and he offered a bit of positive news regarding the right-hander who was pulled from his previous rehab start after experiencing a mild flexor strain in his pitching arm.
Bochy said the 31-year-old Cueto will travel with the Giants to Washington this weekend, and that’s where he’ll resume a throwing program. Cueto has not thrown since his July 31 rehab start, and has been on the disabled list since July 15 with blister issues that have bothered him for much of the season.
“Yeah, he’s (Cueto) going to start throwing this weekend,” Bochy said. “He’ll go on the trip with us and start throwing.”
Cueto’s situation is perhaps the most nuanced of all three for the Giants, because he’s eligible to opt out of his contract at the end of the 2017 season and become a free agent.
After a dominant 2016 campaign, it appeared to be a foregone conclusion that Cueto would choose to hit the open market, but after experience pitching struggles and various injury issues throughout 2017, it’s uncertain whether he would want to risk losing out on the sizable salary that remains on the table in San Francisco.
San Francisco has made it clear that it hopes Cueto returns in 2017, so much like they’ll do with Belt and Melancon, the Giants will be conservative with Cueto’s throwing program and ensure he’s fully prepared to face Major League hitters when he does return.