http://0rz.tw/JjG5K Sandoval slated for Tuesday batting practice By Chris Haft / MLB.com | 05/30/11 5:44 PM ET ST. LOUIS -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy outlined the step-by-step specifics of Pablo Sandoval's return from the disabled list, should the third baseman feel fit enough to be activated in two weeks, which is the best possible scenario. Bochy said Monday that the switch-hitting Sandoval, who's recovering from surgery to remove a broken hamate bone from his right hand, will participate in early batting practice Tuesday swinging right-handed. He'll take left-handed cuts at balls flipped underhand by a coach, since batting from that side puts the knob of his bat in contact with his hand's scarred, sore area. Should Sandoval be able to tolerate any discomfort, he'll begin taking full batting practice Wednesday. Bochy added that Sandoval could start a Minor League injury rehabilitation assignment as early as Friday, a stint that would last at least four or five games. The Giants haven't yet decided which affiliate Sandoval will join, Bochy said. Matheny disapproves of play that injured Posey ST. LOUIS -- Former Giants catcher Mike Matheny joined the chorus of observers lamenting Buster Posey's misfortune, referring to the play that sidelined San Francisco's Rookie of the Year as "avoidable." "I'm a big fan of Buster's, so maybe I'm a little overbiased on this whole thing," Matheny remarked Monday while awaiting his appearance as a Cardinals pregame television analyst. Matheny, who spent most of his 13-year career with St. Louis, also is a part-time catching instructor for the Cardinals. A four-time Gold Glove Award winner for defensive excellence, Matheny pointed out that Scott Cousins, the Florida Marlins baserunner whose home-plate collision with Posey caused the latter to sustain a broken leg and torn ankle ligaments, didn't need to initiate contact. Posey had stepped in front of the plate to take right fielder Nate Schierholtz's throw. "[Cousins] could have gone straight, let alone go around and sweep the plate," said Matheny, whose career ended in 2006 due to post-concussion syndrome after he absorbed one too many foul tips. "It wasn't a dirty play. He didn't come [in with] high spikes. He didn't come [in with a] high elbow. But it was an unnecessary play. "I love the play at the plate. I loved it as a catcher. But when guys go out of their way to get you, I'm not a big fan of it." However, Matheny said that establishing rules limiting or prohibiting runners from plowing into catchers not only would be difficult to enforce but might also cause more injuries, since baserunners could endure indecision as they approach the plate. Sanchez deeply appreciative of 1,000 hits ST. LOUIS -- During a May 20 Interleague game against the A's, Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez marveled as his Oakland counterpart, Mark Ellis, collected the 1,000th hit of his Major League career. "I was thinking, 'That's a great accomplishment for him,'" Sanchez said Monday. Sanchez had no idea that he actually was closing in on the same milestone until his wife, Alissa, informed him a few days ago. So when Sanchez reached the four-figure mark Sunday at Milwaukee, he had spent some time contemplating what the achievement would mean to him. It meant a lot. Just making it to the field each day represents a triumph for Sanchez, 33. He was born with a pigeon-toed left foot and a club right foot. His right foot is a half-size smaller than his left and his right calf lacks certain muscles. Doctors told his mother that he might never walk properly. Though Sanchez proved them wrong, he undergoes rigorous daily preparation to stay physically able to perform. Selected by Boston in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft, Sanchez was traded to Pittsburgh in 2003 and didn't play regularly until 2005. Even then, he didn't settle at one position, but instead bounced around the infield. When Sanchez won the National League batting title in 2006, he didn't become a regular until Joe Randa injured himself in early May. "It makes it that much more special to even have the chance to get the playing time to get 1,000 hits," Sanchez said. Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. --

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