A pair of All-Stars will likely rejoin the Giants for a pivotal series opener against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Monday.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler said he’s “pretty confident” both right-hander Kevin Gausman and catcher Buster Posey will return and start Monday’s series opener at Dodger Stadium.
“I feel pretty confident that Gausman is going to start (Monday) and I feel pretty confident that Buster is going to be available to start for us as well,” Kapler said following a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday. “We’ll get through the next 24 hours and see where we are.”
Posey has been out of the Giants’ lineup since July 4 when he suffered a left thumb contusion after a foul ball hit by Diamondbacks pinch-hitter Daulton Varsho struck him awkwardly on his glove hand. The Giants initially kept Posey on their active roster with the hope that he would return to play quickly, but soreness lingered and an MRI revealed a bone bruise that ultimately led to a stint on the 10-day injured list.
The Giants’ starting catcher skipped All-Star Game festivities in Denver last week to heal with the goal of returning for Friday’s series opener against the Cardinals, but he remained on the IL through the weekend.
Gausman was placed on the Family Medical Emergency list Friday after his wife Taylor was admitted to the hospital with pregnancy complications. The pitcher was not with the team in St. Louis as fellow right-hander Logan Webb took his spot in the rotation in Friday’s series opener.
Webb pitched four innings of one-run ball in a 7-2 win over the Cardinals and is expected to remain in the rotation this week in Los Angeles.
The Giants will likely option a member of their bullpen to Triple-A Sacramento to clear space on the active roster for Gausman to return while Posey will probably take the roster spot of Chadwick Tromp, who started behind the plate Sunday after veteran Curt Casali caught the first two games of the series.
