San Francisco Giants Get Positive Update On Ace After First Rehab Step

The San Francisco Giants are hoping that they will get their ace back soon and he looks like the top-of-the-rotation arm they were expecting to have when they signed him this offseason.

Apr 19, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell (7) / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

This offseason, there was a clear plan by the San Francisco Giants to upgrade their roster and give them the best opportunity to compete for the playoffs.

With Jung Hoo Lee, Jorge Soler, and Matt Chapman added to their lineup, they also were able to sign the reigning National League Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, to a much less lucrative deal than what was initially predicted.

By pairing another elite arm with their ace Logan Webb, it looked like the Giants would be able to compete for that coveted postseason spot.

However, that has not been the case so far.

San Francisco sits at 14-17 after dropping two in a row to the Boston Red Sox. They are now third in their division and have a poor 5-10 record away from home.

One thing that will definitely help them is if they can get the Snell they expected to have when he returns from his stint on the 15-day injured list because of an adductor strain.

Prior to his injury, the star left-hander had an 0-3 record and 11.57 ERA through his three starts. He had a shortened ramp up period because he signed with the Giants so late in the process. The hope is after he settles in a bit, he gets back to being a top arm.

Snell has had this injury before and he doesn't believe this one is serious.

He's eligible to come off the IL on May 8 and thinks he'll return shortly after that if everything goes well in his rehab process.

Good news for San Francisco is ]he threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and felt good after firing around 20 pitches. That's a positive first step as they wait to see how he feels on Thursday before figuring out his progression.

With him expected to return in about a week, he'll have to start ramping up his recovery effort.

Hopefully he can come back to be the ace of this staff and be a major reason why the Giants turned their season around and competed for a spot in the playoffs.