Though the banged-up Giants are only 25-29 this season, the NL West is there for the taking. The Giants sit in fourth place, but they entered Tuesday night only four games out of first place.

They're about to get a shot in the arm, too, in the form of ace Madison Bumgarner.

That likely means Bumgarner can stretch to 90-95 pitches next Tuesday, so he'll be close to full-go.

Bumgarner is coming back from a fractured fifth metacarpal (hand). He injured it when hit with a line drive in his final spring training outing. In Bumgarner's first minor-league rehab start last Saturday, he was brilliant. In 3 2/3 scoreless innings, he struck out eight with just one walk. He didn't allow a hit, either. This was in the minors, sure, but it was Triple-A.

Though he avoided injury every season from 2011-16 -- making at least 31 starts every season -- Bumgarner injured himself in a dirtbike accident last season. He went 4-9 with a 3.32 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP and 101 strikeouts in 111 innings. In 2016, though, he was 15-9 with a 2.74 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.03 WHIP and 251 strikeouts in 226 2/3 innings.

If the Giants get the 2016 version of Bumgarner, he'll give them a huge boost as they look to get back to the playoffs in yet another even year.