As San Francisco Giants left fielder Melky Cabrera continues his torrid pace during the 2012 season, he will miss Sunday's contest against the Houston Astros and possibly a few more after heading to Orlando Saturnay night for the birth of his child, according to the San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami.
Cabrera's absence leaves the opportunity for skipper Bruce Bochy to activate Aubrey Huff, who has been treading water down in the minor leagues waiting for a chance to return. MLB's paternity leave is for 1-3 days, so Huff's return would likely mean another Giant would be demoted back to the minors, unless he heads back himself.
Here is what Bochy had to say in his pre-game interview:
-Q: Any firmer idea on Huff's schedule? Is he going to Atlanta with you?
-BOCHY: In fact, we're going to talk about him right now. Once I'm done here, we're going to get with Bobby Evans and give Brian a call and see what the next move is with Aubrey, whether he'll go down and play some more (in the minors) or we could activate him today before the game.
I'll get with Bobby as soon as I'm done here. I've talked with Aubrey quite a bit about a half-hour ago just to see where he's at, got five at-bats yesterday, feels pretty good at the plate. Knee feels a lot better.
Could make this move or just give him three or four more games.
-Q: What's the key factor-whether Huff is ready or what the roster looks like and who's going down?
-BOCHY: Probably more so to make sure that Aubrey's ready. It will involve making a move once we get to Atlanta. If we activate Aubrey-because Melky will be there. You do get to replace a player, actually, for paternity reasons. That's a one- to three-day, three-day maximum.
What comes into play is what his role would be. He could get a lot of playing time at first base. If he's going to be used off the bench and occasionally play first, he'd be good to go.
Now, as far as his running, it's really picked up. He said he's gone first to third and feels a lot better with the knee. He had a set back about a week ago... Feels like the knee's real close now.
Aubrey Huff could do well if he came back in a Pat Burrell type role with the Giants, but as an everyday starter he seems to be a square peg in a round hole with the outfield full and Brandon Belt and Buster Posey already splitting duties at first base. He'd really have to show some improvement at the plate to get more regular playing time though.
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