Douglas High School product Shawn Estes will make his 2000 debut for the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday when he pitches against the Cincinnati Reds.
Estes, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on March 29 with a shoulder injury, was activated Sunday night. He will start the second game of the series at Cincinnati as part of a reshuffled rotation.
Joe Nathan will throw the first game of the series today, and Livan Hernandez will pitch Thursday. Kirk Rueter's start has been pushed back to Saturday against Arizona.
Estes battled shoulder soreness throughout spring training, although an MRI revealed no damage to his arm. He made a rehab start at Class-A San Jose of the California League late last week.
He was supposed to make another rehab start Monday for Triple-A Fresno of the Pacific Coast League, but the Giants were impressed enough with Estes' progress to activate him. Another factor in the decision was Mark Gardner, Estes' replacement, who has been battling a strained muscle in his leg.
Gardner will be moved to the bullpen, his original role before Estes went down.
Estes was 11-11 with a 4.92 ERA in 32 starts last season. His 203 innings in 1999 were a career high, but his 112 walks were second most in the majors, behind only teammate Russ Ortiz.
He is 40-36 with a 4.31 ERA for his career, and his best season is still the 1997 campaign that saw him go 19-5 with a 3.18 ERA. The Giants have remained patient with Estes in his two seasons since, when he has had mixed results of success and struggles.
To make room on the roster for Estes, Scott Linebrink was optioned to Fresno.