Pablo Sandoval spent the entire offseason getting in shape after being benched for the Giants' postseason run, and he was off to a fine start this season, hitting .313/.374/.530 for a team that's desperate for offense. On April 30, though, he broke the hamate bone in his hand on a swing. According to Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News, Panda might be back soon:
Pablo Sandoval says goal is to return Tuesday at AZ. Left- handed swing needs work. Still pain and weakness in his hand.
There are some mixed messages there with pain and weakness (bad) mingling with imminent return (good). But Sandoval is already rehabbing with Triple-A Fresno, and he hit a home run off beleaguered Jays starter Brett Cecil.
When Sandoval comes back, the Giants will have a decision to make. Miguel Tejada slid over to third after the injury, with Mike Fontenot playing short, but when Fontenot went on the DL with a leg injury, the Giants called up Brandon Crawford in desperation. Crawford has hit, but more importantly, he's played shortstop like a guy who doesn't field like his shoelaces are tied together. It's hard to see Tejada slotting back in at short, considering how well Crawford has played.