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Giants weigh having Pablo Sandoval catch upon return

Pablo Sandoval

San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval throws the ball to bench coach Ron Wotus before their interleague baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in San Francisco, Friday, May 20, 2011. Sandoval, who had surgery on May 3 to remove a fractured hamate bone in his right hand, hopes to be activated in about a month. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

AP

Pablo Sandoval opened his pro career as a catcher and caught in 14 major league games as a rookie in 2008 and sophomore in 2009. Now, with Buster Posey done for the season due to a fractured ankle, the Giants are considering reintroducing him to the position and using him there on a part-time basis.

“I think he’d be fine behind the plate, too, and don’t think we haven’t discussed that,” manager Bruce Bochy told the San Jose Mercury News.

Asked to elaborate, Bochy said:

It’s come up. It’s not something we’ve ruled out, and we may discuss it further. But for right now, the plan is to play him at third base for the most part.

Sandoval was never very highly regarded as a defensive catcher and likely would have been moved even if the Giants didn’t make Posey the fifth overall pick in the 2008 draft. Bochy indicated that if the Giants did try him there again, it’d strictly be a part-time thing.

Sandoval is expected back Tuesday after missing six weeks with a fractured hamate bone. If the Giants really intend to put him behind the plate on occasion, then it becomes quite a bit more likely that they’ll keep Miguel Tejada around for a while longer.