After undergoing surgery on an injured left hand, which he is currently nursing with San Fransisco's Single-A squad in San Jose, Giants manager Bruce Bochy had some choice words regarding Sandoval's conditioning.
Sandoval, aptly nicknamed "Kung-Fu Panda," is one of Major League Baseball's portlier players. And after a talk with Sandoval on Saturday, Bochy questioned whether his conditioning was where it needed to be in order for him to return to the hot corner for the Giants.
San Francisco is currently starting Joaquin Arias at third. Arias holds a .233 batting average through 34 games with just 12 RBIs. Bochy mentioned that Arias is proving himself to be a defensive sensation and is keeping things under control at the far left side of the infield in Sandoval's abscence.
"Being able to make the plays Joaquin has been making, that's so vital," said Bochy. "You look at how important the plays were in (Sunday's) ballgame. That's part of when (Sandoval) comes back up here. It's not just the hitting. It's how he's playing third base."
Sandoval is expected to continue his rehab in the minors and plans to relocate to San Francisco's Triple-A team as early as tomorrow.
Bochy said the Giants will likely activate Sandoval sometime after their home series against the Texas Rangers, as his swing remains limited from the right side and Texas has plans to start two left-handers in their series against San Francisco.
Sandoval is fresh off a three-year, $17.15 million contract which he signed in January, and Bochy says he still plans on the All-Star third baseman being a regular starter upon his return.
