SCOTTSDALE -- Bruce Bochy only expects a handful of veterans in the lineup this week, and it'll be a bit longer before fans get to see the starting right fielder. Hunter Pence had an MRI on his sore Achilles on Monday afternoon and Bochy said Pence will sit out of Cactus League games for at least a week.
The Giants, however, maintain that Pence's injury is minor. Pence said he feels much better, and the MRI is just a precaution.
"I do want to get out there in games as soon as possible, but the most important thing is being conservative," he said. "I feel great today."
[RELATED: Pence to miss couple days with Achilles tendinitis]
Pence was removed from Saturday's workout after feeling discomfort while running the bases. The initial diagnosis was Achilles tendinitis, and that hasn't changed.
"He feels so much better," Bochy said. "He doesn't think he needs (the MRI) but we're going to go ahead and get pictures and make sure nothing is going on. But he's feeling great. It'll be a week before he gets in a game, which is fine."
Bochy and the training staff came into camp with the goal of limiting game action for veterans, but it can be hard to get Pence to slow down.
"I didn't know he was going to force us to (with the injury) but the plan was to back him off a little bit, especially in the early going," Bochy said.
The first spring game is Wednesday at home against the Angels. Bochy expects only three regulars in the starting lineup.
ICYMI: The "Tortoise Race" was one of my favorite subplots of the 2015 season. Joe Panik and Matt Duffy have found an even more interesting way to compete this year.
POSITION CHANGE: Bochy hasn't ruled out putting Angel Pagan in center field on days when Denard Span sits. He talked to Pagan about his preference and the new left fielder said he would be fine with anything the staff decides. Early in the spring, Pagan's focus will be in left. In other outfield news, Gregor Blanco was back in the clubhouse after missing two days with the flu. Bochy said Blanco should be cleared to play in a game later this week.
LINEUPS! Well, kind of. The Giants hold their annual intrasquad game tomorrow at Scottsdale Stadium, with Tyler Beede and Chase Johnson getting the starts. Here are the full lineups. Randy Winn and Shawon Dunston will be the managers, and they actually held a draft yesterday. Jarrett Parker was the first pick.
QUOTABLE: Brandon Crawford and Panik worked on double-play turns this morning, with Andrew Susac getting more time at first. Just about every throw was in the dirt, but that was done on purpose. Susac wanted to work on scooping the ball. "I told (Crawford), 'I bet you can't get two in a row past me,'" he said. True to his word, Susac cleanly scooped just about every bounced throw.
