LOS ANGELES – Pablo Sandoval is caught between worlds.

Against all odds, he came home to the Giants this season. Against all hope, he has not stepped foot in his home country of Venezuela in three years.

He does not like to speak publicly about the unrest in his country, about the displaced and impoverished, about the empty store shelves and the inherent danger of walking down the street when it’s known that you or your family members have something in the bank.

“It’s tough. It’s tough,” said Sandoval, prior to Saturday’s game at Dodger Stadium. “To see all the things that happened to my country, you have to ask God to resolve all of it.”

Sandoval is resolved to play winter ball this offseason, which he feels he needs because he missed so much time over the past two seasons. First, there was shoulder surgery that wiped out his 2016 season. Then there was a knee injury this year, followed by the lengthy limbo between the termination of his disappointing tenure with the Boston Red Sox and the surprising lifeline that the Giants threw to him in July.

He would like nothing better than to play for Magallanes, his team in Venezuela. There might not be a jersey that he has worn with more pride, other than the Vino Tinto of the national soccer team. He went out of his way to make at least a brief appearance with them in the offseason, and Magallanes continues to hold his rights in the major league offseason.

But it is simply not possible to go home. So Sandoval is trying to negotiate to transfer his rights to Charros de Jalisco, a Mexican Pacific League team that plays in Guadalajara. Toros del Este, a team in the Dominican Winter League, might be another possibility.

When the news of Sandoval exploring a winter assignment in Mexico was reported a week ago, he said he began hearing criticism from people back home.

“The situation changed a lot, but don’t get me wrong,” Sandoval said. “I love that team (Magallanes). People will say trash, and it’s tough. I’m the type of guy who hears everything. But you have to be professional and think the right way. You have to think of your family and their safety. It’s going to be important that I play.”

Sandoval said his family is in the U.S. now, and of course, that is not the case for every Venezuelan-born player in the major leagues. A few years ago, the Giants had a crowd of Venezuelan players including Marco Scutaro, Yusmeiro Petit, Gregor Blanco, Hector Sanchez and Jose Mijares. The current contingent is down to Sandoval, outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and pitcher Albert Suarez. There is no way to quantify how much the situation in their home country has weighed on them as they perform a transient job in a foreign place.

Sandoval, 31, had to confront the additional distraction of coming back to a place where he had torched all usable exits following the 2014 World Series, when he spurned the Giants to sign his five-year, $95 million contract with the Red Sox, and said he wouldn’t miss anyone there other than Manager Bruce Bochy and Hunter Pence.

Now, 40 games into his return home, Sandoval said he is grateful for the support he has received both from fans and in the clubhouse.

“I’m happy for all the support, every day,” Sandoval said. “The fans here, they never give up. For being a last place team, it’s a pleasure for me to be in a stadium that is sold out. You have to play hard with everything you’ve got. The fans give you the energy to do that.”

And the clubhouse, which required some mending?

“Great,” Sandoval said. “Old times. We’ve got a great group. This is coming home. I’d love to end my career here.”

Sources indicated the Giants have seen enough positives from Sandoval to forecast, at the very least, that he will remain on the 40-man roster and have a locker in Scottsdale next spring. All else aside, he’s a virtually free player. The Giants will retain club options to keep him for the major league minimum salary next year and in 2019, with the Red Sox responsible for the rest.

Let’s say you’re driving down the street and see a nice end table on the curb. Maybe you weren’t looking for an end table. Maybe you wouldn’t put it in your living room and invite company over to set their cocktail napkins on it. But heck, it looks sturdy enough. You’ve got room in your garage. Might as well take it home and see if you can find a use for it. Maybe after some time, you find that the table is just cluttering up the garage, and you could use that storage space for something else. So out on the curb it goes. In the meantime, though, there’s no harm in stashing it away.

Sandoval didn’t look so useful when he went hitless in 39 consecutive at-bats, breaking a 33-year-old franchise record that Johnnie LeMaster set in 1984. But he snapped that streak with a three-run home run Sept. 8. Then he hit his first right-handed home run in three years when he connected on the last homestand.

And you can bet Giants coaches and executives sat up and took note in the ninth inning Friday night when Sandoval faced Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen and connected on a cutter that landed halfway up the right field pavilion.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy left every impression that he would like to see more of the Sandoval experiment beyond this season.

“I think it’s gone well, I do,” Bochy said Saturday. “It’s really picked up the last two weeks. The right-handed at-bats have been much better. I’m encouraged with what he’s doing offensively. I mean, he’s around .360 the last week. He’s quieted down and stayed behind the ball. The home run yesterday (off Jansen), I mean, that was crushed.”

Keeping Sandoval next spring is not the same as handing the starting third base job to him. The Giants need right-handed power, and third base is one logical place they are likely to hunt for it. But Sandoval’s ability to play functional defense at both third and first might make him a practical option as a part-time player.

“He gives you versatility,” Bochy said of Sandoval, whose recent hot stretch only boosted his slash line to a .213/.253/.346 in 40 games. “To be honest, he’s played a good third base. At first base, he’s done a real good job, too.”

Sandoval said he makes no assumptions that the Giants will exercise their option to bring him back, even if it’s looking extremely likely.

“I’ll be happy to be back here, but it’s not my decision,” he said. “I just want to do all I can to be healthy and ready for spring training, and (winter ball) will be important.”

The only reason for the Giants to kick Sandoval to the curb now would be if his presence has caused a clubhouse distraction. But since Sandoval showed contrition upon arrival, there hasn’t been a hint of discord. To the contrary, his energy and uptempo attitude are qualities the Giants have sorely needed as they try to avoid the second 100-loss season in franchise history

“He’s fit in here just fine,” Bochy said. “They’re a good group here and they understand at times we might not quite say what we mean or we make a mistake. They let bygones be bygones.”

What about the fans, many of whom reject his presence or are still warming to the idea of it?

Sandoval said he hears nothing but cheers when at AT&T Park, and he is grateful for them. But as he said, he also hears everything else. And he knows it is pointless to try to convince everyone with a Twitter or Instagram account.

“It’s human nature,”” Sandoval said. “You know it’s there. You can be doing great and someone will be talking trash. You just need to put it to the side and keep working. This is where I want to be.”