Barry Zito Set For Rehab Start, Probably First Of Many

When last we checked in, a recovering Barry Zito was reacquainting himself with something called “the mound”, with hopes of someday “pitching” to hitters in the “major leagues”. There didn’t seem to be any particular rush to actually get Zito back into action, though.

Well, according to the San Francisco Giants, who are paying Barry Zito $18.5 million this season to “pitch”, Zito will make his first rehab start next Monday with the San Jose Giants. Zito figures to continue making rehab starts -- within the rules governing such things, of course -- until the exact moment that 1) he looks like the the pitcher the Giants thought they were getting when they signed him, or 2) Ryan Vogelsong turns into the Great Pumpkin.

Give him credit for the strikeout rate, but that walk rate was dreadful. Since 1919, only 119 major-league pitchers have walked that many hitters in 90 innings or more. Some of them had above-average ERAs, but they tended to have names like “Nolan Ryan” and “Bob Feller.” Most of the pitchers had miserable ERAs, as you’d expect.

The good news was that Barry Zito’s foot wasn’t broken. The bad news is that even a sprained foot can keep a pitcher out of action for quite some time.

The Giants didn’t need another fifth starter until Thursday night, when Ryan Vogelsong made his first start since 2004 and beat the Pirates with 5-2/3 strong innings. For the moment, at least, Vogelsong’s the answer because the Giants have little depth in their farm system.

Giants left-hander Barry Zito’s trip to a Bay Area podiatrist on Monday, which included specialized x-rays designed to provide a more accurate assessment of the extent of any structural damage in his sprained right foot, confirmed an earlier x-ray’s finding that there are no broken bones.The report also notes that though there was no change from the initial diagnosis of a sprained foot, Zito is on crutches and wearing an immobilization boot.

Though Zito’s career with the Giants has been an up-and-down affair that saw him left off the roster for all three of the Giants’ playoff series, his durability was always seen as a welcome, if pricey, addition to the San Francisco pitching staff.