Next Up for San Francisco Giants with Johnny Cueto Out 6-8 Weeks

San Francisco Giants ace Johnny Cueto had been having a resurgent 2018 season, when the injury bug that has plagued the team since Spring Training continued to bite.

News broke earlier Monday regarding Johnny Cueto, via Jon Heyman:

I’m sure I’m not alone in preparing for the most (i.e. out for season or longer) when we heard that Cueto was going to meet orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews for an opinion on his ailing elbow. But it turns out the righty will avoid surgery altogether!

Cueto had been sporting a 0.84 ERA, and was on-pace for career bests in H/9, BB/9, HR/9, and SO/W ratio when he was placed on they 10-day Disabled List last Tuesday with the dreaded elbow soreness.

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He has 3 years/$63MM left on his contract after this season, so the team would be smart to make sure he is fully healthy when he returns.

Thankfully, Cueto is expected to return sometime around the end of July after resting his arm, allowing the sprain to heal. A lot can certainly happen in six weeks (the current season isn’t even six weeks old yet), but hopefully the Giants can continue to stay afloat and compete until that time.

For a Giants team without their top two starting pitchers, they are playing remarkably well and currently sit four games over .500. Much of this is due to young starters stepping up, such as Chris Stratton,  Andrew Suarez, and Ty Blach.

As of now, these players will continue to get opportunities in the rotation for the foreseeable future, along with veterans Jeff Samardzija and Derek Holland. I’m sure the Giants will kick the tires on some cheaper depth options as well in the coming weeks, such as the recently released Matt Harvey.

While the Cueto injury certainly hurts in the short run, it could have been a much longer recovery, and he will be a welcome sight when he returns from the DL later this season.

Next: Is This Success for the San Francisco Giants Real?

He joins the outfielders Mac Williamson and Hunter Pence, second baseman Joe Panik, relievers Josh Osich and Reyes Moronta, and the aforementioned Bumgarner on a crowded San Francisco DL.