The last five days have been tumultuous for the Giants, who have experienced two unexpected breaks in their schedule due to a false positive COVID-19 test Friday in San Diego and poor air quality Tuesday in Seattle. But amid the calamity, there was also a bit of good news.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Kevin Gausman’s MRI came back clean and showed no structural damage in his right elbow, likely clearing the way for the 29-year-old to return to the Giants’ rotation this weekend against the A’s.

Gausman felt some tightness in his elbow while playing catch last week and was scratched from his scheduled start against the Padres on Sunday when the discomfort lingered. He was sent for an MRI exam on Monday as a precaution.

“I think the Gausman news is the best news that we could have gotten in the last 48 hours,” Kapler said Tuesday. “Of all the things we got news on, it was great to hear that there was no structural damage and that we can at least be encouraged that he can start in that Oakland series and then down the stretch for us.”

A healthy Gausman should help bolster the Giants’ playoff hopes as they attempt to solidify their hold on a National League Wild Card spot with less than two weeks to go in the regular season. Gausman has emerged as the Giants’ most dominant starter this year, logging a 4.05 ERA over 46 2/3 innings.

San Francisco’s rotation could also receive a boost with the return of left-hander Drew Smyly, who is scheduled to start against the Mariners on Wednesday at Oracle Park. Smyly recorded a 3.24 ERA over his first three outings of the season before missing six weeks with a left index finger injury. He was reinstated from the injured list last week and reclaimed his spot in the rotation after striking out eight over four innings in a relief appearance against the Padres.

Fellow lefty Tyler Anderson, who was originally scheduled to start Tuesday, will have his start pushed back to Thursday after the postponement. Johnny Cueto, Logan Webb and Gausman are currently lined up to pitch in Oakland, though the order has not been announced yet.

“Knowing that we have all of our starters intact right now, I know that’s something that not every club can say,” Kapler said. “I think there’s still some evaluation to be done before we actually ensure that [Gausman’s] going to make his next start for us, but at this point, it’s encouraging because we have our five starters and that’s a big deal.”

Jeff Samardzija, who has been out since Aug. 8 with a right shoulder injury, appears close to being an option for the Giants as well. The 35-year-old veteran is scheduled to throw a five-inning simulated game at the alternate training site in Sacramento on Thursday and could provide additional pitching depth with San Francisco now scheduled to close out its regular season with 13 games in 12 days.