SAN FRANCISCO -- With his sprained right hand no longer in a splint, Giants third baseman Matt Chapman has been able to begin ramping up his rehab process this week.
Chapman was cleared to throw and took 20 swings off a tee on Tuesday, an encouraging step forward for the five-time Gold Glove Award winner.
"Everything felt good,” said Chapman, who has been out since June 8. “Normal soreness. Nothing out of the ordinary. I think we’ve just got to work through some of that and still get my strength back. It’s probably at like 85%. Not quite all the way there. I think I’m going to keep progressing. The hope is to come back before the All-Star break. I think all signs point to yes, but until I face velocity and really start to push it, it’s going to be hard to know.”
Chapman, 32, said he expects to keep working out at the Giants’ Minor League complex in Arizona when the team heads to Chicago to kick off a 10-game road trip later this week. He would prefer not to go on a rehab assignment if his hand continues to feel good, but he acknowledged that “some of that stuff is out of my control.”
If all goes according to plan, Chapman could rejoin the Giants for their final first-half series against the rival Dodgers on July 11-13 at Oracle Park. Chapman was batting .243 with an .812 OPS and 12 home runs in 65 games prior to the injury, so his return should help fortify a lineup that recently received a big boost from the arrival of three-time All-Star Rafael Devers, who was acquired from the Red Sox on June 15.
While the Giants are eager to get Chapman back, they’ve been thrilled by the production they’ve received from interim third baseman Casey Schmitt over the past two weeks. Schmitt entered Tuesday slashing .415/.478/.732 with four homers and 12 RBIs over his last 12 games, which should put him in line to replace the recently demoted Tyler Fitzgerald as the Giants’ starting second baseman once Chapman returns.
“I know what he’s capable of doing,” Chapman said of Schmitt. “Our whole team knows what he’s capable of doing. For him to step up and help this team while I’m gone is huge. He’s playing so good, he’s going to demand to stay in the lineup. It’s fun to see. That was what I was trying to preach to him. This was a really good opportunity for him to show everybody what he could do. When you force their hand like that, it’s a good thing. It’s a good problem to have guys competing for remaining spots.”
Fitzgerald was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday after batting only .186 with a .472 OPS in 32 games since returning from a left rib fracture last month, but Chapman said he’s confident the speedy 27-year-old will be able to turn it around and work his way back into the Giants’ infield picture later this summer.
“I think it was needed for him,” Chapman said. “It’s tough. You saw how much success he had last year and what he’s capable of doing. We all know what he’s capable of doing. … I think if he can go down there and get it going, he’s going to find a way to come back and help us out one way or another this season. I think we all fully believe that he’s talented enough to be here and help this team.”