Injury woes: Did San Francisco Giants move too fast with Jake Peavy, Casey McGehee and Brandon Belt?

Apr 10, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Casey McGehee (14) follows through during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Casey McGehee 

When news broke that Casey McGehee’s knee strain was a mere bone bruise, Giants nation let out a collective deep breath, as a DL stint appeared imminent. After all, knee strains typically end up being sprains, or worse, as I mentioned in this post.

Instead, he returned in less than a week, pinch-hitting on Thursday before making his first start back on Friday.

Well, some version of him was in the field, at least. The three times he was tested at third, the results were cringe-worthy: a gimpy attempt at a slow-roller followed by a wide throw to first, a non-attempt at a hot shot down the line and a diving belly-flop to stop a grounder in the hole. Somewhere, a plus-sized Pablo Sandoval is smiling.

All jokes aside, “McKnee” (did you really believe me?) does not look ready to resume full-time duties. With Matt Duffy hitting in five-straight games before Friday and doing an above-average job holding down the hot corner, why not relegate McGehee to a bench role, especially if you still feel the need to label him as “day-to-day.”

If the injury is more serious than they’re letting on, by far the hottest player on the Rivercats roster right now is Adam Duvall. Correction: Third baseman Adam Duvall.

Being a new addition to the squad, and a Bay Area native to boot, I’m sure McGehee is anxious to show that he can (at least partially) fill Sandoval’s shoes. It’s a long season, though, Casey…get healthy first.

Verdict: Moved too fast — plenty of options available

Next: On to slide four