PITTSBURGH — Angel Pagan took a step closer to returning to the San Francisco Giants’ lineup Sunday night.
The center fielder and leadoff hitter played five innings in a rehab game for the Giants’ entry in the rookie-level Arizona League against the AZL Cubs. Pagan went 1-for-2 with a single and a strikeout in his first game action since Aug. 10 when he went on the disabled list because of patellar tendinitis in his right knee.
Pagan is scheduled to join Triple-A Sacramento on Monday and play in games on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Pacific Coast League then be reevaluated.
If all goes well, Pagan could be activated Thursday for the finale of a three-game home series against the Chicago Cub.
“We’ll see how he’s doing,” manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday night before the Giants lost 5-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates, keeping them 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.
Pagan is hitting .258 with no home runs and six stolen bases in 102 games this season. He is one of two starting outfielders on the DL along with right fielder Hunter Pence, who has a strained left oblique muscle.