SAN FRANCISCO -- The Captain is back, although it'll be a few more days before he's fully back to normal.
Brandon Belt was activated before Tuesday's game against the Kansas City Royals but is coming off the bench for at least his first game back. Manager Gabe Kapler said Belt may be the designated hitter for Wednesday's series finale as they look to work him back in slowly after nearly a month off.
"I think we're going to probably ease him into this a little bit," Kapler said. "You might see a DH here and there, you might see some innings at first base and then we may replace him in-game. Part of that is just to kind of give him more of a buildup without having to have a full-on rehab assignment.
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"We're choosing to introduce him back onto the roster because he's a really valuable bat and defensive replacement at times, but also, we're doing it this way because we don't want to throw him right in there and ask him to play nine innings."
Belt hasn't played since May 18 because of right knee inflammation but the Giants did not send him on a short minor league rehab assignment to get additional at-bats. The swings were instead taken in the cage with the hitting coaches and during a brief simulated game on Monday.
It shouldn't be a problem for Belt, who had just a handful of at-bats this spring but then looked like his normal self once opening day rolled around.
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San Francisco Giants
To clear a roster spot, the Giants optioned infielder Donovan Walton back down to Triple-A Sacramento. Walton had seen plenty of time at second base in recent weeks, but Thairo Estrada will go back to being the main defender there, with Tommy La Stella also in the mix against right-handed pitching.