Giants' Hunter Pence: Participates in drills, still not hitting

Pence (side) participated in on-field drills Friday but has yet to be cleared to resume hitting, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports.

Analysis:

The Giants continue to be cautious with Pence, who was forced to slow his workouts last week after getting treatment for an intercostal injury. Still, it's encouraging that Pence has been able to do everything else aside from hitting. Manager Bruce Bochy added Friday that Pence is "real close" to returning, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. With that, Pence figures to resume hitting in the not too distant future if he continues his current progress.