The San Francisco Giants are once again having some concerns over third baseman Pablo Sandoval's conditioning. CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly reports that skipper Bruce Bochy had a candid conversation with the Kung Fu Panda this weekend, which Baggarly noted was 'not a pleasant exchange,' and have now pushed back Pablo's return date until after the Texas Rangers series this upcoming weekend. His new possible return date is June 12.
Giants brass has become 'increasingly dissatisfied' with the way Pablo has been handling his conditioning and overall dedication to the game, which Baggs noted was long before he was questioned by police this weekend in Santa Cruz. Pablo was told he could be demoted back before the 2011 season if he didn't lose some weight, and though it hasn't gotten to that point yet it doesn't sound like Bochy is too happy about him at the moment:
"He's been told we have enough first basemen," said Bochy, asked about whether a position change might be in the works for the rotund Panda. "That said, hopefully we're not forced to make a change. That's in Pablo's hands.
"Being able to make the plays Joaquin has been making, that's so vital. You look at how important the plays were in (Sunday's) ballgame. That's part of when (Sandoval) comes back up here. It's not just the hitting. It's how he's playing third base, which is what he's doing today.
Pablo will play third base for San Jose against the Stockton Ports tonight, and if all goes well will join the Triple-A squad in Fresno tomorrow. He still remains limited in his swings he can take from the right side of the plate, though has been taking righty swings in BP which have gone well so far.
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