BREAKING: Cain has Cyst Removed From Upper Right Arm

The news that Cain will not be throwing for a week or two would not be that dramatic if it had not been for his already notorious series of injuries over the past couple of years. Over the past couple of seasons, Cain has not been a stranger to surgery, as his right arm has been worked on multiple times.

Before the announcement of this injury, Cain was expected to be the number five starter for the Giants to round out the rotation, but with Chris Heston in the wings, filling in that position will not be too much of a problem. Having Heston, who had a solid rookie campaign with an ERA of 3.95 over 177.2 innings with a no-hitter in the process, gives the Giants flexibility and allows Cain to take as much time as possible to return healthy.

Cain, well-known by Giants fans as The Horse for his ability to eat up innings, has been an integral part of the Giants rotation since he came up through the farm system. Cain was arguably the ace of the staff, alongside a prime Tim Lincecum, and has pitched in more than a couple of big games for San Francisco, including starting in all three World Series runs, the 2012 All-Star Game, and his own masterpiece, a perfect game. From 2007 to 2012, Cain gave the Giants six straight years of 200+ innings, and was considered one of the Giants most consistent pitchers in recent memory, but since an elbow problem in the summer of 2013, Cain has never been the same inning eater and his inning total has decreased every subsequent year.

With a rotation consisting of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Jake Peavy, and possibly Chris Heston, if Cain does not show any signs of returning in time for Opening Day, the Giants have more than a couple of pitchers capable of eating up a lot of innings. Adding Cain to that list would be huge, especially if Heston has to endure his fair share of growing pains. While it would be fun to have Cain round out the rotation, it is a question as to whether or not he will be able to be consistent in providing the Giants with five to six innings and put them in a position to win. Especially with this new development, a big question mark now remains.

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