Giants' Matt Chapman optimistic about return after visit with hand specialist
LOS ANGELES — Matt Chapman was feeling pretty good about his visit with hand specialist Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles on Friday, especially after learning he'll only need to keep a splint on his sprained right hand for another week and might be able to pick up a bat at that point.
The San Francisco Giants third baseman anticipates missing three to four weeks in all as he recovers from the injury suffered Sunday diving back to first base, but manager Bob Melvin, who also managed Chapman in Oakland, cautioned that Chapman can run a little optimistic 'so you've got to temper that a little bit.'
Dr. Shin told Chapman that he was surprised by how much the swelling has abated in the hand and how little pain Chapman is experiencing; Chapman credited the Giants' training staff and the fact that he's using a ice machine that provides compression 'and I pretty much live in that thing in my hotel room.'
Chapman expects to be able to start fielding, not throwing, soon, but in the meantime, he's been working with fill-in third baseman Casey Schmitt, talking to him extensively about positioning and other elements of the job.
Schmitt made an error on a potential game-ending double-play ball in the ninth Thursday at Colorado and the Giants went on to lose after that. Chapman said he'd spoken to Schmitt about it.
'I told him, 'Dude, I've had that happen to me plenty of times, I've made errors this season. I've had some plays that I probably thought I could have made that I didn't make. You haven't been playing third base every single day. You've still got to get into the rhythm of playing third base,'' Chapman said. 'It sucks that it happened in the last inning like that and then we're not able to win the game, but he's been swinging the bat great, he's been taking great at-bats, he has made some good plays.
'I just keep telling him to keep going forward and keep going, because he's going to be in there for another at least three or four weeks playing third base. We need him, and he's going to be a big part of our team, even when I come back.'
Catcher Patrick Bailey, who is on the IL with a neck strain, said Friday that he's feeling much better. He's scheduled for an MRI to see how things are healing when the team gets back home Monday.
Justin Verlander (pectoral strain) will throw a bullpen session Saturday and is likely to rejoin the rotation during the Cleveland series next week.
Meckler at second? Wade Meckler, a strong prospect as a hitter, played his first professional game at second base on Thursday with Triple-A Sacramento, which potentially could make him more of a utility-type player and gives the Giants more options to use him if there is a need, plus, with Luis Matos back in Sacramento, this provides more at-bats for Meckler.
Meckler, 25, is a left-handed hitter and the Giants are a little light from that side. He's batting .309 with a .441 on-base percentage at Sacramento, but injuries have limited his playing time.
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