Longoria sits with tight left hamstring
Third baseman Evan Longoria was out of the Giants’ starting lineup against the Marlins on Friday night with a mild left hamstring tightness.
Longoria, 35, departed Thursday night’s 3-0 win over Miami in the fourth inning with the injury, though manager Gabe Kapler said afterward that “it’s not too bad.” Kapler said Longoria received treatment before Friday’s game and could be available to come off the bench against Miami.
The injuries have been piling up for the Giants’ infield recently, as second baseman Donovan Solano landed on the 10-day injured list with a “moderate” right calf strain on Thursday and will likely be out for a while.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford (right side tightness) and first baseman Brandon Belt (oblique tightness) are also dealing with ailments, though they both returned to the starting lineup against Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara on Friday. Wilmer Flores started at third base in place of Longoria, who is hitting .291 with a .972 OPS and a team-high four home runs through his first 18 games this year.
Kapler said he believes the infield depth the Giants accrued over the offseason has allowed them to weather the recent wave of injuries and continue their strong start to the season. The Giants entered Friday with a 12-7 record, the second-best mark in the National League behind only the rival Dodgers.
“It’s just nice to know that if you’re going to lose a player even for a day or two of the caliber of Brandon Belt or Evan Longoria or Brandon Crawford, that you’re slotting in a player with a ton of talent like Wilmer Flores or Tommy La Stella,” Kapler said. “Certainly it speaks to the depth that this roster has. We only have that depth when we’re a healthy team, so we want to try to get these guys as healthy as possible as quickly as possible so we can regain that depth and that leverage and that advantage.”
Moronta, Cueto progressing
Kapler said reliever Reyes Moronta (right flexor strain) threw a bullpen session at Oracle Park on Thursday without issue and will throw another side session on Saturday.
Kapler also said “things are trending in the right direction” with right-hander Johnny Cueto (lat strain). Cueto hasn’t pitched since April 14, but the Giants are hoping he’ll miss only two starts before slotting back into the starting rotation.
Kapler said he doesn’t have an exact date for Cueto’s return yet, but he doesn’t expect the 35-year-old veteran to make a rehab start at the alternate training site in Sacramento before he’s activated off the 10-day injured list.