Brad Martens / SF Giants
SCOTTSDALE — Reyes Moronta returned to a professional mound, throwing a clean inning while striking out one in his spring debut Saturday. There were some nerves, he acknowledged, in his first game action since Aug. 31, 2019, when he collapsed after throwing a pitch and required labrum surgery.
His comeback will be complete when he throws in a big-league game again, but the fact his fastball has not yet come back gives pause to when that day will come.
Moronta, who had been excellent in two Giants seasons, averaged a 97.2-mph fastball in ’19, which he threw more than half the time (58.4 percent). With the caveats that he is coming off shoulder surgery and still should be building up on March 13, his fastball sat at 92 mph Saturday while once touching 94 mph, according to the Scottsdale Stadium gun.
“I know that the velocity is not where I want it to be,” the 28-year-old said through translator Erwin Higueros on Sunday. “But then again, we have to keep in mind that I haven’t pitched in over 18 months, so eventually the speed is going to get to where it’s supposed to be.”
According to the team, Moronta had been throwing in the mid-90s at the alternate site last year and never got his call-up. After the season, Gabe Kapler challenged him to focus on his body this offseason. According to Moronta, he has lost nine pounds since reporting to camp, coming in at 265 pounds and is now down to 256.
Kapler has said he is happy with Moronta’s mobility on the mound, and both manager and righty said they were pleased with the way he looked in his debut. “He threw strikes, and he landed his slider for strikes and he looked poised,” Kapler said. But the radar gun, for now, showed room for concern.
“It’s certainly something that we notice, and obviously we feel like when Reyes is at his best, he’s throwing a little bit harder than that,” Kapler said Saturday.
Even prior to his debut, Moronta’s spot on the Opening Day roster was in question. He has options, which Jake McGee, Jarlin Garcia, Jose Alvarez and Matt Wisler lack. If Dedniel Nunez is healthy — an uncertainty after elbow inflammation was found in a Saturday MRI — the Rule 5 pick would be on the roster. With the Giants likely carrying a long man, that might leave just one spot open for a competition between a sea of non-roster invites, Moronta, Tyler Rogers, Wandy Peralta, Sam Selman and Caleb Baragar.
Moronta’s fastball probably will have to return before he officially does.
“My main concern was just to pitch [Saturday], not worry about the speed,” Moronta said over Zoom. “Because I know that eventually my shoulder is going to get stronger, and I’m going to be at 98 miles an hour.”