The San Francisco Giants will start their defense of the World Series title Monday without a pair of key playoff contributors.
Travis Ishikawa, who's rehabbing a sore back, is expected to join fellow outfielder Hunter Pence on the disabled list to begin the season, manager Bruce Bochy revealed to reporters Saturday.
"He's starting to hit some balls off the tee, but he's not ready," Bochy said before the Giants' spring finale against the Oakland Athletics. "Looks like he's heading to the DL. Unless I get different news after the game, but that looks like where he's heading."
Ishikawa, who hit three home runs with a .703 OPS last season, emerged as an unlikely hero during the Giants' playoffs run when he sent San Francisco to the World Series with a walk-off, three-run homer against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series.
The veteran outfielder was expected to help spell the absence of Pence, who could miss up to a month of the regular season with a broken forearm. Bochy said the plan is for Pence to begin swinging a bat in 10-14 days.
The Giants open their season April 6 in Arizona.
