Giants left-hander Barry Zito was placed on the 15-day disabled list at the beginning of August with a sprained muscle in his right foot.
He made a successful rehab start last Monday at Single-A San Jose, tossing 7 2/3 innings while allowing only three runs, and looked to be on track to return to the major leagues within a week or two. But everything must now be put on hold.
According to beat writer Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, Zito suffered a sprained left ankle Saturday evening at Triple-A Fresno while making his second minor league rehab start.
X-rays have already ruled out a fracture, but Giants manager Bruce Bochy told reporters on Sunday morning that Zito is probably going to be sidelined for an extended period of time.
The injury happened while Zito was attempting to back up home plate. He took an awkward step and his ankle gave out. The 33-year-old has posted a 5.62 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across nine major league starts this year.
