CM – Belt reverts to a deeper and more versatile line of Giants

After four months of constant injuries, the Giants are very, very close to getting their entire team back on the pitch.

Brandon Belt returned from the injured list on Thursday and will make his first start since his knee injury on June 23 in Anaheim, and Evan Longoria is not far behind. The third baseman, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, will make a start for Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday and stretch to seven innings on Friday, so he’s not far from returning. It seems reasonable that he could be back for the start of the next homestand on Tuesday.

The Giants picked up Tommy La Stella on Wednesday and saw him reach base four times, and with the return of two more starters, there’s going to be a tighter roster. They temporarily avoided this by putting Kevin Gausman on the paternity list. The Gausmans are expecting their second daughter, Sutton, on Friday morning.

Belt’s return has further deepened a lineup that Kris Bryant has also added over the past week. In the final against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bryant plays his third position since arriving:

Kris Bryant plays his third position in less than a week with the Giants: Wade Jr. RF, La Stella 3B, Bryant CF, Dickerson LF, Crawford SS, Solano 2B, Belt 1B, Casali C, Wood LHP

Belt had an .875 OPS and 11 home runs before he was injured, and at the time there were concerns he would need surgery. But he avoided that fate, rehabilitating for over a month instead, and recently said he didn’t foresee any further problems. He wears a knee brace, on which he has already undergone end-of-season surgery.

“It’s great to see the person they call come in and take over and do such a good job of helping us win baseball games,” he said. “But it was a little difficult to sit down and watch those rivalry games. These are fun games, which is why we play baseball. It was hard to sit down and watch this, but I’m really excited to go back and start playing again. “