Giants officially place Hunter Pence on the DL, reliever Mike Broadway called up

It began as one game out. Then another. Then a whole series. Then another.

You get the picture: It’s clear Hunter Pence’s wrist just isn’t right. As a result, the Giants finally placed their star outfielder on the disabled list on Friday, as reported by Ken Rosenthal.

His replacement is a name most fans probably won’t be familiar with, as Broadway has floated around the Minors over the last decade. Before we get into his story, though—and trust me, it’s a good one—let’s jump back to Pence.

As I mentioned earlier, the Giants played the waiting game to see if Hunter could shake the tendinitis stemming from a diving catch against the Pirates. After over a week of trying, they finally threw in the towel.

That’s not really a bad thing, though. The Giants have done pretty well for themselves since the Reverend went down, taking two-out-of-three from both the Mets and Phillies on the road, and I’d much rather have Justin Maxwell hold down the fort for another week than Pence risk his long-term health by rushing back.

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The biggest silver lining is that San Francisco can make his DL stint retroactive to June 3 due to Pence’s inactivity, meaning he could be back with the team next week not longer after Gregor Blanco (concussion) is ready to rejoin the club.

While we’re on the topic of outfielders—er, kinda-sorta left fielders—it’s a bit surprising that Travis Ishikawa was not called up, even for this short-term opening. The Giants probably want to keep Ishi up for more than a week when the right opportunity arises, and elected instead to add some immediate bullpen.

Which brings us back to Broadway. I’ve had my eye on the 28-year-old right-hander for the last couple months due to his eye-opening stats in Sacramento: 1.35 ERA, .82 WHIP, 39/6 SO/BB ratio in 26 2/3 innings.

Not too shabby. His story might be even better than his numbers, though, as the 28-year-old has been in the Minors for nearly a decade, pitching to mixed results in three different systems before finally settling in this season.

Like fellow Rivercat call-up Chris Heston, Broadway has rebounded from serious elbow troubles in a big way, and could be the next surprise prospect to make a splash for San Francisco. It’s not hard to fathom a career comeback considering his pure stuff:

Welcome, Mr. Broadway. Sorry in advance for any lame jokes, puns and/or cliches involving your surname.