Giants get Pence back early despite long odds

The Giants were going to wait until their trip to Philadelphia before activating Hunter Pence. Even after deciding to undergo surgery for his torn hamstring, a pre-August return seemed unlikely.

Pence defied the odds, soaring back into the Giants lineup on July 30 after a loud couple rehab appearances in which he hit .417 with seven RBI and three home runs.

The hope is that Pence, who missed 48 games, will jolt the Giants’ tired offense. He couldn’t be back in the lineup at a better time, 12 hours removed from his team’s rally-ending triple play. Pence is ready to jolt the offense:

“I play the game with a lot of emotion, hopefully I can put that vibe out there to give my team a little boost.”

Pence said his legs feel ‘great’ and made sure to credit his hitting coaches for keeping his eye ready while he recovered:

“I want to be out there to help, and for me I just want to try to do it with the most positive light I can.”

Bruce Bochy marveled at his fast recovery. They missed his energy:

“The intangibles are huge for him. He’s such a positive guy, so much inspiration, it’s going to give guys a lift.”

The right fielder was batting .298 before his big injury. Ramiro Pena was DFA’d to make room for him on the roster.

Shayna Rubin is SFBay’s San Francisco Giants beat writer. Follow @SFBay and @ShaynaRubin on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of Giants baseball.