SAN FRANCISCO -- A few minutes after walking into the home clubhouse at AT&T Park, Andrew Suarez was asked if he knew if he was on the active roster.
"No," he said. "I guess I should find that out."
An hour later, Bruce Bochy finally explained two days of mystery. Johnny Cueto tweaked his left ankle while working out Saturday and was placed on the disabled list before Tuesday's game. Reliever Steven Okert will take his spot Tuesday, but Suarez will be added to the roster on Wednesday morning to make his MLB debut. Fellow prospect Tyler Beede is making his MLB debut Tuesday night.
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"They were in major league camp and got a lot of work in," Bochy said of the two. "We have some coverage for them."
Suarez is considered the organization's best left-handed pitching prospect and the staff believes he's ready for big league action. Still, this is a tough situation. The top three starters coming into the season are now on the disabled list, and the rotation consists of two rookies (Beede and Suarez), a 27-year-old former first-round pick (Chris Stratton), a non-roster invitee (Derek Holland), and a pitcher (Ty Blach) who was going to be the long reliever before all the injuries hit.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel. Jeff Samardzija will make a rehab appearance for the San Jose Giants on Saturday. Cueto's DL stint is retroactive to April 7 so he could return on the next road trip and the Giants expect him to. Samardzija should be back around April 19.