OF Bryce Johnson set to begin rehab assignment

"He's gonna go play in Sac," Kapler said. "So he's going to be on a rehab assignment, and we'll see how that goes. I think that's going to start today. Today or tomorrow."

Johnson was a surprising omission from the Giants' Opening Day roster after hitting.310/.423/.405 with a league-leading 12 stolen bases during spring training. However, he was quickly called up from Triple-A and saw ample playing time while Austin Slater and Mitch Haniger dealt with early-season injuries. In 10 games with the Giants this season, Johnson hit .150/.150/.300 with 10 strikeouts in 20 plate appearances.

Last season, Johnson hit .290/.369/.401 in 91 games at Triple-A with 31 stolen bases (36 attempts). He also received his first career big-league call-up in August. He hit .111/.158/.111 with a pair of hits in 19 plate appearances (11 games).

While rehab assignments are designed for players to work back into game shape before returning to the big-league roster, Johnson is in a unique situation. Both Haniger and Slater have returned to the lineup since Johnson suffered his concussion. So, had he remained healthy, Johnson likely would have already been optioned back to Triple-A.

However, Johnson benefits from continuing to accrue MLB service time by returning to Triple-A on a rehab assignment. Barring an injury, Johnson will likely be optioned onto Sacramento's roster after he utilizes the 20-day rehab period. It's a small move for the SF Giants but sending Bryce Johnson on a rehab assignment instead of an option will give him a nice boost to his pay.