Giants place righty Johnny Cueto on 10-day injured list with right flexor strain

The Giants have placed starter Johnny Cueto on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 9, with a right flexor strain. Infielder Thairo Estrada has been recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take his place on the active roster. Cueto’s injury is minor, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters, including Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group, with the team hoping he’ll return after missing just one start.

Cueto has rather quietly put together a solid season for the first-place Giants. The 35-year-old has tossed 104 innings over 19 starts, working to a 3.89 ERA/4.22 SIERA. That’s an unexpected bounce-back since the two-time All-Star struggled in 2020 after missing large chunks of the 2018 and 2019 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. Cueto has seen a bit of an uptick in his swinging-strike rate relative to the past few seasons, and he’s had some of the best control of any pitcher in the league. The righty’s 5.5% walk rate is 14th-lowest among the 78 hurlers with 100-plus innings pitched this year.

With Aaron Sanchez designated for assignment over the weekend, the Giants’ rotation depth has thinned out in recent days. Anthony DeSclafani is expected to return from the IL when first eligible to start on Friday, Kapler told reporters. He’ll rejoin Kevin Gausman, Alex Wood and Logan Webb in the starting five. The Giants don’t have an off day until next Thursday, so they might have to turn to Sammy Long or Tyler Beede to cover for Cueto’s missed time over the next week.