Giants ace Bumgarner will rehab against the Grizzlies – but you’ll have to drive to see it

San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is scheduled to start against the Fresno Grizzlies on Friday.

But it’ll take place at Raley Field in Sacramento as Bumgarner begins a Triple-A rehab stint with the River Cats, San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy told Giants beat reporters Monday.

Bumgarner, 27, has been limited to just four starts this season after he suffered a shoulder injury (left AC joint) to his throwing arm in a dirt bike accident in April.

Friday will be Bumgarner’s first rehabilitation assignment in Triple-A.

He made his first minor league rehab start Sunday with the Giants’ Arizona Rookie League team, throwing three hitless innings with two strikeouts and a walk.

The Grizzlies wrap up an eight-game home stand Thursday before hitting the road Friday for a four-game series against their rival River Cats.

Bumgarner played for the Grizzlies in 2010, while Fresno served as the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate from 1998-2014.

Sacramento has been the Giants’ affiliate since 2015.

Though Bumgarner still was developing while with the Grizzlies, the big lefty went on to become one of the best players ever to wear a Grizzlies uniform.

Bumgarner, a four-time All Star, helped the Giants win World Series championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

He finished fourth in the National League Cy Young Award last season after going 15-9 with a 2.74 ERA and a career-best 251 strikeouts in 226  2/3 innings.

Before getting injured this season, Bumgarner was 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Bumgarner will become the third Grizzlies great to rehab against the Grizzlies for the third consecutive year.

Bumgarner, however, is the first to do so on the road rather than in Fresno.

Two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum dazzled in Fresno in 2016, throwing seven scoreless innings.

He played for the Grizzlies in 2007.

And three-time All Star Matt Cain rehabbed in Fresno each of the past two seasons while with the River Cats, including in 2015 when he returned to Chukchansi Park for the first time in 10 years.

Cain last played for the Grizzlies in 2005.

This story was originally published June 26, 2017 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Giants ace Bumgarner will rehab against the Grizzlies – but you’ll have to drive to see it."