Casilla to rejoin Giants, Kontos shipped down

The Giants optioned George Kontos to Triple-A Fresno after Sunday’s 8-7 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Kontos (1-0, 3.07 ERA) was sent down to make room for right-handed reliever Santiago Casilla (1-1, 1.37 ERA).

After two successful rehab outings, Casilla will rejoin the Giants in Chicago when they start a two-game series against the White Sox Tuesday.

Manager Bruce Bochy expressed satisfaction about Casilla’s comeback before Sunday’s game:

“He’s all set and that’s good news because when [the injury] happened, we thought this would be longer than what it has been.”

Casilla, who’s appeared in 22 games for the Giants this season, had been on the 15-day DL with a Grade 2 strain in his right hamstring.

With the Giants recent bullpen woes, Bochy said Casilla’s return would be a good “shot in the arm.”

The Giants will slot Casilla back into the eighth-inning setup role and push Jean Machi (5-0, 0.29 ERA) down to the sixth or seventh inning with Juan Gutierrez (1-2, 3.69 ERA).

Kontos was the only reliever with any options left, which was a key factor in the decision to demote him. He’s appeared in 11 games for the Giants this year.

The move is bad timing for Kontos. He’s a Chicago native who normally has a large crowd when he visits.

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