San Francisco Giants: Madison Bumgarner Begins Throwing, But Why Rush?

San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner began his road to recovery on Saturday by throwing a simulated game.

Bumgarner has been on the disabled list since hist dirt-biking accident on April 20 that left him with a separated shoulder and bruised ribs.

He threw a mound session on Wednesday, June 14. That was followed by a simulated game on Saturday where he threw around 40 pitches. The simulated game was supposed to be sooner, but there were some issues with gaining access to Coors Field for him to throw.

This is the first really big step in his recovery. Bumgarner will throw another simulated game on Wednesday, and then the Giants will re-evaluate his status, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News.

It’s expected that he’ll need four to five rehab starts in the minor leagues before returning to major league action.

What’s the Rush? 

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In all honestly, there is no real reason to rush Madison Bumgarner back from injury. The Giants have the second worst record in all of baseball.

There is pretty much no hope for the season, so why not take this time to let your ace rest.

He’s thrown over 200 innings in the regular season for six straight years. Including the playoffs, Bumgarner has thrown 727.6 innings the past three seasons (2014-2016). That’s about 243 innings a year, which is a ton of work for a pitcher today.

I know the fans want to see their best pitcher back and on the mound, but I think the best course of action would be to let him rest.

Madison is probably also itching to play again, but it’s in his best interest to take his time coming back.

If he comes back and makes 13-14 starts and throws 100 innings, but the Giants still finish 10 games out of a playoff spot, what’s the point?

I think the San Francisco Giants should use this opportunity to rest their ace for the future.

Next: What are the San Francisco Giants Going to do with Johnny Cueto?

Madison Bumgarner is still at least a month away from returning to the Giants. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a “set back” in his recovery to give him some extra rest.