The Giants announced on Thursday that Dominican right-handed Johnny Cueto will be placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a grade 1 sprain of his lateral muscle. The corresponding move will be announced before the start of Friday’s series against the Marlins in Miami.
Cueto was injured on Wednesday in the sixth inning of the Giants’ 3-0 victory over the Reds in Oracle Park. The 35-year old from Dominican Republic shined for 5.2 innings with 68 pitches, but turned his back on striking out Nick Castellanos.
Cueto’s injury is a serious blow to the Giants rotation, who have posted a 2.78 ERA so far this season. Cueto’s resurgence is a big reason for that success, with the Dominican having a 1.80 ERA after his first three starts of the year.
Losing time will make some shoes difficult to fill, manager Gabe Kapler said on Wednesday.
The main candidate to replace Cueto is right-handed Logan Webb. The Giants initially planned to move Webb to the bullpen and release a slot in the rotation for left-handed Alex Wood, who hopes to be activated from the disabled list against the Marlins on Sunday, but now Webb can also remain in the rotation. in the absence of Cueto.