The Giants announced on Thursday that the Dominican right Johnny Cueto will be placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a 1st degree sprain in the lateral muscle. The corresponding move will be announced before the start of Friday’s Miami series against the Marlins.
Cueto suffered an injury on Wednesday at Oracle Park, in the sixth half of the Giants’ 3-0 victory over the Reds. The 35-year-old from the Dominican Republic shone for 5.2 innings with 68 pitches, but turned his back after hitting Nick Castellanos.
Cueto’s injury is a serious blow to the Giants’ rotation, which has had an ERA of 2.78 so far this season. Cueto’s rebirth is an important reason for this success, with the Dominican having an ERA of 1.80 after his first three starts of the year.
“Losing time will leave some shoes difficult to fill,” manager Gabe Kapler said on Wednesday.
The main candidate to replace Cueto is right-wing Logan Webb. The Giants had originally planned to move Webb to the bullpen and open a rotating slot for left-handed Alex Wood, who hopes to be activated from the list of disabled against the Marlins on Sunday, but now Webb could remain in rotation without Cueto.