San Francisco Giants Injury Updates: Hudson, Pagan
As Spring Training continues for the San Francisco Giants, more injury updates on several key Giants players have become readily available.
In the past week, fans have received updates on the health and progress of Matt Cain, Sergio Romo, and even Giants manager Bruce Bochy. Today, we will focus on the progress of ailing Giants Tim Hudson and Angel Pagan.
The last time we were updated on Hudson’s status was a couple weeks ago when it was announced that Hudson was about two to three weeks behind schedule in his rehab program.
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Hudson had surgery in January to remove bone chips from his right ankle, the ankle that he fractured at the end of the 2013 season, and after the surgery, it was presumed that Hudson would be ready for Opening Day. Hudson was expected to miss parts of Spring Training but would probably be able to make a few starts.
Hudson also announced a couple weeks ago that he would most likely retire at the end of the 2015 season.
Now that Spring Training has officially begun, Hudson has been working out on one of the back fields and hasn’t had a bullpen session yet. Hudson is still a little behind the other starting pitchers, but he believes that he will only need a few Spring Training starts to get back on track.
According to Alex Pavlovic of Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area, here’s what Bochy said about Hudson a couple days ago:
"“Today was a good day for him,” Bochy said. “He should be on a mound here soon.”"
Another Giant that is recovering is Pagan, who decided to have season-ending back surgery with just six regular season games left in 2014. Pagan recently spoke to Pavlovic about missing the playoffs and the Giants’ World Series run, how he feels now, and what he expects this upcoming season:
"“I’m good, I’m perfect,” Pagan said. “I feel like never before. Right now, I’m pain-free.”…“I was part of it,” he said of the title. “I believe I helped the team a lot during the year to put them in the right spot. For me, it’s satisfying.”…Bochy maneuvered his way to a third title without Pagan leading things off, and the 33-year-old said he watched the stirring series from home, jumping up and screaming when Alex Gordon’s liner got past Gregor Blanco and went to the wall with one out remaining in Game 7. Pagan said that moment served only to make an incredible series a bit more exciting. Minutes later, the Giants formed a dog pile that was missing Pagan, and the center fielder started texting teammates to congratulate them.“At the end of the day, when all is said and done I felt happy,” Pagan said. “Because they picked me up as a teammate.”"
Pagan also said in that interview with Pavlovic that he will not change his style of play in order to avoid more injuries. He has been a spark plug for the Giants, and his energy at the top of the lineup is irreplaceable.
With the addition of Nori Aoki though, Bochy could decide to have Aoki bat leadoff occasionally, which would move Pagan down in the lineup to bring some energy later in the lineup, perhaps at the third or fifth spot.
Pagan spoke about this with Pavlovic too, and he said that since he’s hit in every spot in the lineup before, he will be fine with whatever decision that Bochy makes. He echoed what he said earlier too by saying that he wouldn’t change his approach no matter what spot he was hitting in.
We will keep you updated on these two players’ progress, in addition to the other injured or recovering Giants.