Giants' Cueto to make season debut Tuesday
Johnny Cueto is on his way back.
San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced Saturday that Cueto, who has missed the entire season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, will make his 2019 debut on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oracle Park, according to Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group.
It will mark Cueto's first start since July 28, 2018. He made just nine starts for the Giants last year.
"I feel like I'm 19 years old," Cueto told Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.
Cueto had been on track to return earlier, before a back issue last week briefly halted his rehab. He was able to throw a bullpen session in Los Angeles on Saturday and Bochy reported that he came out of it feeling alright, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The 33-year-old made six rehab starts in August across three minor-league levels, posting a cumulative 3.38 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 21 strikeouts over those outings.
Cueto, a two-time All-Star and former NL strikeout champion, joined the Giants as a free agent in 2016. He's earning $21 million annually through to the final year of his $130-million contract in 2021.